President Biden said the “universal” message of the Christmas story should break through political lines and bring people together.
Biden made the comments during a Christmas address on Thursday afternoon.
“The Christmas story is at the heart of the Christian faith, but the message of hope, love, peace and joy are also universal. It speaks to all of us, whether a Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, or no faith at all, speaks to all of us as human beings,” Biden said. “We’re here on this earth to care for one another, to look out for one another, to love one another. The message of Christmas is always important, but it’s especially important through tough times like the ones we’ve been through the past few years.”
Biden went on to lament how divided politics in America has become and how it shapes the way people see each other.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during the Leaders Session – Partnering on Agenda 2063 at the U.S. – Africa Leaders Summit on December 15, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
“Our politics has gotten so angry, so mean, so partisan. And too often we see each other as enemies. Not as neighbors, as Democrats or Republicans, not as fellow Americans,” Biden said. “We’ve become too divided. But as tough as these times have been, if we look a little closer, we see bright spots all across the country. The strength of determination, the resilience that’s long defined America. We’re surely making progress.”
US President Joe Biden responds to a question regarding the US Senate runoff election in Georgia, after disembarking Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on December 6, 2022. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
During the speech, Biden said he hopes “this holiday season will drain the poison that infected our politics and set us against one another.”
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers brief remarks before signing bipartisan legislation averting a rail workers strike in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on December 02, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“I hope this Christmas season marks a fresh start for our nation, because there’s so much that unites us as Americans, so much more that unites us than divides us,” he said. “We’re truly blessed to live in this nation.”
