Mike Johnson takes jab at Biden's mental acuity by asking if he 'knew' or 'fully understood' he signed Transgender Day of Visibility proclamation as Easter outrage grows
- Speaker Johnson slammed Biden for declaring March 31 - Easter Sunday - the Transgender Day of Visibility
- When asked about the proclamation Biden later said that he 'didn't do that'
- Johnson said it is 'alarming' if the president does not know what he signed
Mike Johnson is calling into question Joe Biden's mental acuity after the president said he had nothing to do with declaring March 31 - the same day as Easter - the Transgender Day of Visibility.
Johnson originally hit Biden for scheduling the day to celebrate the lives and accomplishments of trans people on the same day as the holy Christian holiday, calling Biden's move 'outrageous and abhorrent.'
When asked on Monday if he had named Easter the Transgender Day of Visibility, Biden, who is Catholic, denied he had issued the proclamation saying: 'I didn't do that.'
He lashed back at Johnson, saying the speaker was 'thoroughly uninformed.'
But Johnson quickly pointed out that Biden signed off on the proclamation, which stated: 'Therefore, I, Joseph R. Biden Jr. ... hereby proclaim March 31, 2024, as Transgender Day of Visibility.'
'Well it's his own signature on the document,' Johnson said on Monday night in an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity.
'It's highly possible he doesn't even know what he is signing,' the Republican continued, taking a jab at Biden's mental acuity. 'That might even be more alarming.'
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden held the annual Easter Egg Roll on Easter Sunday
'The evidence speaks for itself, as we used to say in the courtroom.'
The Transgender Day of Visibility has been celebrated on March 31 since 2009, according to Rachel Crandall-Crocker, a trans activist who is credited for starting the annual celebration.
This year, Easter happened to fall on the same day.
The Christian holiday usually lands on a different day every year, and its date is determined by the lunar calendar.
Still, as Johnson noted, there is a gap between Biden's claim that he 'did not do' the Transgender Day of Visibility proclamation while the announcement explicitly bears his name.
'The Biden White House has betrayed the central tenet of Easter — which is the resurrection of Jesus Christ,' Johnson said in a post on X on March 30.
'Banning sacred truth and tradition—while at the same time proclaiming Easter Sunday as 'Transgender Day'—is outrageous and abhorrent,' the post continued.
'The American people are taking note.'
In response, White House spokesman Andrew Bates told DailyMail.com, 'President Biden is right. He did nothing in conflict with the 'tenets' of Easter, which he celebrated.'
'Nor did he choose the date of March 31 for Transgender Day of Visibility, which has been set since 2009.'
But Johnson's questioning of Biden's mental state is not the first time the president's brain power has been cause of concern.
A poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research released last month found that 60 percent of Americans have concerns over the Biden's mental ability to serve as president.
President Biden told reporters he 'had nothing to do' with the Transgender Day of Visibility landing on the same day as Easter
Further, Biden's own Department of Justice issued a report in January on his mishandling of classified documents saying the president has a 'poor memory' and 'diminished faculties.'
The president was described in the report as 'a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man' who couldn't remember when he served as vice president or even the date his own son Beau died.
Biden vehemently denied the claims in the report, denouncing that he could not remember when his son died, saying 'his memory is fine.'
