President Donald Trump commemorated both Easter and Passover during his most recent weekly address, proclaiming that, “with God’s grace, life always triumphs over death, freedom overcomes oppression, and faith extinguishes fear.”
Trump, who opened the address by commemorating the holiday season as one of “great hope,” went on to discuss how the Jewish people are in the midst of celebrating the Passover, connecting the religious holiday to the broader human quest for freedom.
“This week, Jewish families across our country, and around the world, celebrate Passover and retell the story of God’s deliverance of the Jewish people,” Trump said. “The story of the Exodus is a story of freedom. It is the story of an incredible people who were liberated from oppression and raised up the face of humankind.”
Trump called Israel a “monument” to Jews’ “faith and endurance” and praised the Jewish people for having “lived through one persecution after another,” yet persevering through it all.
Watch the president’s message below:
Then, Trump transitioned to discuss the importance of Easter, noting that the holiday is the celebration of the “resurrection of Christ and the promise of eternal salvation” and called the U.S. “a nation of believers” that has always heralded religious freedom.
“From the beginning, America has been a place that has cherished the freedom of worship,” Trump said. “That is the promise the first settlers saw in our vast continent — and it is the promise that our bravest warriors have protected for all of our citizens in centuries since, a long time ago.”
The commander-in-chief noted that many around the world tragically do not enjoy religious freedom and face terror for simply exercising their beliefs, highlighting the horrific Islamic State attack on Egypt’s Coptic Christians on Palm Sunday as an example of that dynamic; Trump once again condemned that deadly assault and invoked prayer for a more peaceful tomorrow.
“We pray for the strength and wisdom to achieve a better tomorrow — one where good people of all faiths, Christians and Muslims and Jewish and Hindu, can follow their hearts and worship according to their conscience,” he said. “With God’s grace, life always triumphs over death, freedom overcomes oppression, and faith extinguishes fear.”
Read the entire message for yourself here.
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