Former President Donald Trump declared that Nov. 5 will be “Christian Visibility Day,” a reference to his anticipated support among religious voters and a dig at President Biden’s Transgender Day of Visibility proclamation.
“What the hell was Biden thinking when he declared Easter Sunday to be Trans Visibility Day?” asked Mr. Trump at a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, prompting boos from the crowd.
“Such total disrespect to Christians, and Nov. 5 is going to be called something else,” Mr. Trump said at the Tuesday event. “You know what it’s going to be called? Christian Visibility Day, when Christians turn out in numbers that nobody has ever seen before. Let’s call it Christian Visibility Day, all right?”
His quip was quickly embraced by supporters such as transgender Republican Caitlyn Jenner, who said, “November 5th is going to be CHRISTIAN VISIBILITY DAY!”
“That’s leadership! That’s America’s President!” said the reality television star on X.
Mr. Biden was blasted by conservatives for his proclamation designating March 31 as Transgender Visibility Day, given that Easter, the Christian calendar’s holiest day, fell this year on the same date.
The transgender observance has been held on March 31 since it was invented by a transgender activist in 2009. The date of Easter changes from year to year.
TRUMP: “What the Hell was Biden thinking when he declared Easter Sunday to be ‘Trans Visibility Day’? Such total disrespect to Christians… November 5th is going to be called ‘CHRISTIAN Visibility Day’, when Christians turn out in numbers that nobody’s ever seen before” pic.twitter.com/qu3uquKfqc
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) April 2, 2024
The proclamation prompted some Christians to accuse the White House of “worshipping at the altar of the LGBT agenda,” as conservative radio host Todd Starnes put it.
“If nothing else, the Democrat Party’s attack on Easter Sunday has framed the 2024 presidential election as good versus evil, right versus wrong,” said Mr. Starnes, author of the newly published book “Twilight’s Last Gleaming: Can America Be Saved?”
Mr. Trump might have gotten the idea from a former rival. Vivek Ramaswamy, who ran unsuccessfully for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, said Sunday on X: “Happy Christian Day of Visibility—also known as Easter!”
Left-tilting media outlets were not amused by Mr. Trump’s jab.
Happy Christian Day of Visibility – also known as Easter!
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) March 31, 2024
“Trump Exploits Anti-Trans Easter Outrage by Proclaiming Election Day Will Be ‘Christian Visibility Day,’” fumed Mediaite in a Wednesday headline.
Washington Post columnist Philip Bump insisted that “Trump’s ‘Christian Visibility Day’ bit overstates his Christian support.”
The White House responded to the outrage by stressing that the transgender day and Easter both fell on March 31 and accused critics of spreading “misinformation.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Biden issued a head-scratching denial Monday in response to a question about the proclamation, saying, “I didn’t do that.”
The proclamation issued Friday and signed by Mr. Biden says: “I, Joseph R. Biden … do hereby proclaim March 31, 2024, as Transgender Day of Visibility.”