US President Donald Trump gestures as he departs for travel to Florida from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, Jan. 31, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Leah Millis.

President Donald Trump issued his annual Passover message at the start of the holiday, calling the festival’s narrative a “story of strength” and noting that due to the coronavirus pandemic, it would be a different holiday than in the past.

“Passover is truly the story of strength of the Jewish people, and for the Jewish people,” the president said in the video statement issued on YouTube. “I want to wish everybody a very happy Passover.”

“But this year is going to be different,” Trump noted. “You won’t be sitting tightly knit together in temple.”

“You’ll be at your homes,” he said. “You’ll be helping our country, frankly.”

“We want to get together really soon,” the president stated. “We want to be together. But one thing we have seen: we’ve seen tremendous unity as a nation, and everybody has really helped.”

“So, to all of my Jewish friends, I just want to wish you a very, very happy Passover,” he concluded.

View President Trump’s full statement below: