Washington, Dec 23 (Agency) US President Joe Biden delivered a Christmas speech urging Americans to unite behind shared national identity this holiday season in an effort to ease political tensions between Democrats and Republicans. “My hope this Christmas season is that we take a few moments of quiet reflection… and really look at each other, not as Democrats and Republicans, not as members of team red or team blue, but as who we really are: fellow Americans,” Biden said on Thursday. “I hope this Christmas season marks a fresh start for our nation, because there is much that unites us as Americans, so much more that unites us than divides us.”
Biden said the story of Christmas and the message of hope it delivers are particularly important in tough times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic of the last few years. The US president called on Americans to look out “for” one another instead of “at” one another. Following the holiday season, the new session of the US Congress will begin, marking the beginning of the second half of Biden’s term as president. Although Biden assumed office with Democrats in control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, Republicans took control of the lower chamber of Congress during midterm elections in November.