Joe Biden joked that he was promoting a youngster to ‘congressman’ as he visited patients in a children’s hospital in Washington.
The president listened as Jill Biden read ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ to a group of patients and their families at Children’s National Hospital.
It was the President and First Lady’s third holiday visit to the hospital.
Other patients also joined in virtually from their rooms.
Sumukh Arunkumar, 10, reacts as Joe Biden promotes him to ‘Congressman’
Sumukh Arunkumar, 10, and Joe Biden during a presidential holiday visit to patients and families at Children’s National Hospital in Washington
Sumukh Arunkumar, jumps for joy
At the end of the First Lady’s book reading Biden told the children ‘Yay Santa’ and invited one of them, Sumukh Arunkumar, 10, on to the stage.
‘Come here Mr Mayor…I’m going to promote him. I’m going to make him a congressman,’ he joked.
Biden thanked staff, saying ‘it’s special, special what you do.”
He added: ‘Jill and I spent time, the same like you parents do, with our children, other circumstances.
‘But you know, that old expression where there’s life there’s hope. Hopefully you kids are going to come back when you’re out of the hospital and hang out with other kids. And you will know what’s it’s like, right.
First Lady Jill Biden reads ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas’ during a holiday visit to patients and families at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC, on December 22, 2023
Joe Biden addresses young patients and their families
Joe Biden greets patients and their families at Children’s National Hospital
US President Joe Biden reacts as First Lady Jill Biden reads ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas’
‘So thank you. Thank you. Thank you for all you do. And I’ll see you hopefully before next Christmas. The next Christmas I see you maybe I’ll see you at the White House.’
Biden went on: ‘Every single year there’s more and more cures, every single solitary year. So as my father would say, keep the faith. We’re gonna beat all this, I promise you.’
He added: ‘If one of you kids, when you’re president, you remember us OK?
‘When they say Joe and Jill Biden are out in the waiting room promise you don’t say who.’