WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden brought some Christmas Eve cheer to hospitalized children who aren’t well enough to go home for holidays.
What You Need To Know
- President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden are bringing Christmas Eve cheer to hospitalized children who aren’t well enough to go home for the holidays
- It’s longstanding tradition for first ladies to visit Children’s National Hospital in Washington at Christmastime, but Joe Biden’s visit was a surprise
- The White House says it’s the first time a sitting president has joined the fun.
- The Bidens are set to help patients with a craft project before the first lady reads “Olaf’s Night Before Christmas.”
It’s longstanding tradition for first ladies to visit Children’s National Hospital at Christmastime, but Joe Biden’s visit on Friday was a surprise. It marked the first time that a sitting president had joined the fun, the White House said.
The Bidens helped a group of children making lanterns as part of a winter craft project, and then the first lady read them a Christmas story.
One boy read his wish list to the president, who responded, “Pretty cool, Danny.”
After another boy named Beau held up his lantern and said a few words, Biden pointed out that he had a son named Beau and now has a grandson with the same name. The president also said he spent “a lot of time” at Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia when his granddaughter was a patient there.
The kids told Biden what they wanted to be when they grow up. The answers included doctor, chef, police officer, aerospace engineer, author and biomedical engineer.
One topic of conversation was the Bidens’ new puppy, Commander. The president showed one boy a picture of the dog on his cellphone and also suggested he might bring Commander to the hospital for a visit this summer. The first lady, wearing a dark, flowery dress with a red sash, told one child that the puppy was eating her slipper Friday morning.
Jill Biden thanked the nurses and doctors who work to make the children feel better. Parents were also in the room.
The first lady then sat near the Christmas tree and read “Olaf’s Night Before Christmas” to the kids. The president joked that he reads the book before bed along with his briefing material.
Video of Jill Biden reading was also shown in patient rooms throughout the hospital. The Walt Disney Co. provided copies of the book for each patient so they could follow along with the first lady, the White House said. Each book includes a White House bookmark designed by her office.
Before leaving, the president added an ornament to the Christmas tree. When a reporter asked Biden if he had a message for Americans, the president answered, “Keep the faith.”
The annual tradition of a hospital visit by the first lady dates to Bess Truman, who served in the role from 1945-53.
