Presidential Message on Ash Wednesday, 2020

Melania and I wish everyone observing Ash Wednesday a peaceful and prayerful day.
 
For Catholics and many other Christians, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season that concludes with the joyful celebration of Easter Sunday.  Today, millions of Christians will be marked on their foreheads with the sign of the cross.  The imposition of ashes is an invitation to spend time during Lent fasting, praying, and engaging in acts of charity.  This powerful and sacred tradition reminds us of our shared mortality, Christ’s saving love, and the need to repent and accept the Gospel more fully. 
 
We join in prayer with everyone observing this holy day and wish you a prayerful Lenten journey.  May you grow closer to God in your faith during this blessed season.

Presidential Message on the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima

In the long record of American heroism in combat, few episodes capture the indomitable will and the stouthearted spirit of the American warrior better than the triumphs on the island of Iwo Jima in early 1945.  Seventy-five years later, we pay tribute to the immeasurable sacrifice of those killed in action on Iwo Jima, and we honor the heroic efforts of all who took part in one of the most costly and significant battles in our country’s history.
 
By February 1945, despite American forces possessing aerial and naval supremacy, the Japanese forces at Iwo Jima were well dug-in and prepared to fight to the last man for the strategically important airfields on this small piece of land.  This was the first time in World War II that the Japanese were defending what they considered home soil.  For 5 weeks, our Marines and Navy sailors endured a harrowing trial by fire, fighting to secure this remote volcanic island from more than 20,000 determined Japanese soldiers.  Nearly 7,000 Americans died in the effort.
 
The fighting on Iwo Jima was some of the bloodiest and most costly in all of World War II, but it also gave rise to some of the greatest examples of patriotism and heroism in our Nation’s history, inspiring Admiral Chester Nimitz’s famous statement that “uncommon valor was a common virtue.”  Few images evoke as much emotion from the American soul as Joe Rosenthal’s photo of six Marines raising our Flag atop Mount Suribachi in the opening days of the battle.  In addition, 27 Medals of Honor—the highest honor given to members of the military—were awarded for actions of conspicuous gallantry during the battle.  Of these, 22 medals went to Marines, making up more than 25 percent of the total Medals of Honor awarded to Marines throughout the entirety of the war. 
 
Among the heroes at Iwo Jima were non-combatants, like Rabbi Roland Gittelsohn.  In the days following the battle, Rabbi Gittelsohn delivered a powerful, stirring message at the Fifth Marine Division cemetery on Iwo Jima.  There, he stated, “Here lie officers and privates, blacks and whites, rich and poor together.  Here are Protestants, Catholics, and Jews together.  Here no man prefers another because of his color.”  For his service ministering to men in the thick of the combat zone, Rabbi Gittelsohn was awarded three service ribbons, and today his words resonate as a powerful testament to the founding principle of our Nation that liberty and democracy are the rights of all men and women of every race, religion, and creed.
 
On this anniversary, we honor those who answered the call of duty and ensured that the forces of freedom emerged victorious in that fateful battle.  As a Nation, we remain forever indebted to the Greatest Generation.

Presidential Message on the 150th Anniversary of the Ratification of the 15th Amendment

On
the 150th anniversary of the ratification of the 15th Amendment, we
celebrate one of the most fundamental and sacred rights of our
Republic—the right to vote.  
 
Our Nation was founded upon the belief that every citizen is endowed
with certain unalienable rights from our Creator.  Following the Civil
War and the abolition of slavery, the Congress worked to ensure that
“race, color, or previous condition of servitude” could no longer be
used as grounds to deny an American citizen the right to participate in
our democracy.  This historic amendment granted African American men the
right to vote and allowed them a voice in our great American
Experiment. 
 
The ratification of the 15th Amendment was a tremendous step towards a
more just society.  Fifty years later, with the ratification of the 19th
Amendment, African American women also secured the right to vote,
alongside other adult women. 
 
Today, as we recognize the remarkable progress we have made as a Nation
in forming a more perfect Union, we acknowledge the challenges that
minorities and women have overcome and the significant contributions
they continue to make in advancing liberty and building a stronger
America. 

Presidential Message on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, 2020

On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we remember the millions of precious souls who perished as a result of the horrific crimes perpetrated by the Nazi regime.  We also reaffirm our steadfast commitment to confronting the vile poison of anti-Semitism wherever and whenever it arises.
 
This year’s annual observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day is especially moving as we commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.  As we solemnly mourn those who were abused, tortured, or killed at Auschwitz and other concentration and extermination camps, we acknowledge the heroes who risked their own lives—many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice—to help liberate the camps.  Their sacrifices helped the forces of freedom prevail to ensure that these atrocious crimes will never be repeated.
 
Unfortunately, there are still Jewish men, women, and children who face persecution and discrimination today.  To fight the rise of anti-Semitism in the United States, I issued an Executive Order in December of 2019 that will help combat racist, anti-Semitic discrimination.  Anti-Semitism will never be tolerated, and this action bolsters my Administration’s efforts to create a culture of respect that deeply values the dignity in every human life.
 
As we come together as one Nation on this International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we ask God to grant strength to those who survived the depravity of the Nazi regime and comfort to the families of the victims whose lives were cut short.  We ask that the world reflect on this day and seek to ensure that we stand united against intolerance and oppression of people of every race, religion, or ethnicity.  And, in order to ensure that these horrific crimes against God and humanity never happen again, we must resolve to combat evil and oppressive regimes with democracy, justice, and the compassionate spirit that is found in the hearts of all Americans.