
Billy Porter performs as President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden attend the National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony at the Ellipse near the White House, Dec. 2, in Washington.
December 3, 2021
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden helped light the National Christmas Tree on Thursday while remembering those lost to the COVID-19 pandemic and crediting the American people for his optimism.
Biden also paid tribute to service members, thanking them for their sacrifices.
“We are a great nation because of you, the American people,” Biden said, joined on stage by his wife, first lady Jill Biden. “You’ve made me so optimistic.”
It was Biden’s first time participating in the nearly 100-year-old tradition in the nation’s capital. Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, joined the Bidens.
Singer-actor LL Cool J hosted the program, which featured performances by Billy Porter, Chris Stapleton, H.E.R., Kristin Chenoweth, Patti LaBelle and Howard University’s gospel choir.
The evergreen tree on the Ellipse, just south of the White House, was lit up in red and white lights. It is surrounded by smaller trees representing every U.S. state and territory and the District of Columbia. Students from across the country made the ornaments used to decorate the trees.
The first National Christmas Tree lighting was held on Christmas Eve in 1923.
"News Services" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
UPDATE2: Four Japanese Self-Defense Forces members injured in explosion at U.S. Kadena Air Base in Japan’s Okinawa
-
Shooter Kills At Least Nine in Attack on Austrian School, Mayor Says
-
Liberal Lee Jae-Myung Projected to Win South Korea Election Overshadowed by Martial Law Crisis
-
Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average Rises on Weaker Yen, Easing Worries about Trade Tensions
-
House Republicans Pass Trump’s Big Bill of Tax Breaks and Program Cuts after All-Night Session
JN ACCESS RANKING
-
Toyoda to Become Automobile Business Association of Japan Chairman; to Help Guide U.S. Tariff-Affected Industriessns
-
Visitors to Japan Hit Single-Month Record High in April
-
Japanese Researchers Develop ‘Transparent Paper’ as Alternative to Plastics; New Material Is Biodegradable, Can Be Produced with Low Carbon Emissions
-
Aichi Rice Production Under Siege from Warming Climate; Record Heat Stunts Crop Growth, Causes Greater Pest Activity
-
Japan’s Core Inflation Hits More than 2-year High, Could Force Year-End BOJ Hike