Those who dared to take issue with President Joe Biden proclaiming March 31, which was also Easter Sunday this year, to be "Transgender Day of Visibility" have been subject to plenty of gaslighting, denigrating, and excuses from Democrats, including from the White House and the president himself. On Monday, as Spencer covered, Biden claimed "I didn't do that" when asked about the proclamation, and claimed that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) was "thoroughly uninformed" for saying that he did. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and CNN's Dana Bash had also gone after the speaker on Sunday for daring to express concern.
This you, @JoeBiden? https://t.co/p7zmhlhQLm pic.twitter.com/ZIT6v7tiHO
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) April 1, 2024
Also on Monday, Johnson appeared on Fox News' "Hannity," where he and host Sean Hannity tried to make sense of the president's confusion, especially in light of the evidence that the speaker highlighted from his X account, with the proclamation bearing the president's name.
"Well, it's his own signature on the document. That's why we posted it," Johnson pointed out. "The evidence speaks for itself, as we used to say in the courtroom." Johnson went on to raise the possibility of a larger issue, which is that "it's highly possible that he doesn't even know what he's signing," he said, adding "that might be even more alarming."
Johnson also spoke to how such "an episode" from Biden has to do with the presidential election, a rematch from 2020 between Biden and former and potentially future President Donald Trump.
"This election," Johnson offered, "is about showing a contrast between these two visions for America," with the proclamation being "a great example of that." The speaker also warned about "this radical leftist, progressive vision is not who we are as Americans," emphasizing he thinks that "most of the country agrees with us," which is why he believes "we're going to have a very successful election in November."
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Biden is either more than happy to offend millions of Christians or he has no idea what he is signing.
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) April 2, 2024
Which is more alarming? https://t.co/EU8rbtFtGC
Those taking issues with those who are offended about the proclamation point out that the "Transgender Day of Visibility" has been on March 31 since 2009 while Easter changes every year. However, this does not address how Biden could have made the proclamation for another day or foregone it all together this year. Jesse Watters, another Fox News host, has also pointed out that there already are plenty of days, weeks, and months dedicated to the demographic.
It's also telling that the White House and top Democrats such as Biden, but also Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) went with such a heavy focus of the proclaimed date with messages shared over X in contrast to Easter messages.
I’m thinking this has got to be the strongest contrast between Easter messages versus full throated support for the “Transgender Day of Visibility” from Democrats. Just pathetic. https://t.co/O2Vr4KT2Ae pic.twitter.com/TngjMZUGpV
— Rebecca Downs🇺🇸🟦🇮🇱 (@RebeccaRoseGold) March 31, 2024
On Transgender Day of Visibility, we celebrate the joy, strength, and absolute courage of some of the bravest people I know.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) March 31, 2024
Today, we show millions of transgender and nonbinary Americans that we see them, they belong, and they should be treated with dignity and respect. pic.twitter.com/mhixHV9KC2
Transgender Americans are part of the fabric of our nation.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 31, 2024
On Transgender Day of Visibility, our Administration honors the extraordinary courage of transgender Americans and reaffirms our commitment to forming a more perfect union – where all people are treated equally. pic.twitter.com/ElRf9l62Nk