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Jill Biden puts surprise Valentine's Day messages on White House lawn

The first lady said she wanted to send "messages of healing, unity, hope and compassion."
/ Source: TODAY

Jill Biden just delivered an early Valentine’s Day surprise.

Overnight, the first lady had large pink, red and white hearts installed on the North Lawn of the White House, inscribed with messages including “strength," “love," “kindness," “family” and “healing.”

NBC News White House correspondent Kelly O’Donnell shared photos of the hearts on Twitter. The first lady also shared photos of the decorations on Instagram.

Thee printed hearts are “hearkening back to the days of sharing candy hearts between friends and family,” the first lady's office said in a statement to NBC News.

“The First Lady is known for her sense of humor, love of surprises, and celebrating traditions, especially with her family, Valentine’s Day has always been one of her favorite holidays. Sending messages of healing, unity, hope and compassion, this is her Valentine to the country.”

President Joe Biden took a stroll on the North Lawn with the family dogs, Champ and Major, to check out his wife’s Valentine’s Day installation, seen above in this photo shared on Twitter by C-SPAN’s Howard Mortman.

“Valentine’s Day is a big day,” the president said in another clip shared on Twitter by C-SPAN. “Jill's favorite day. For real."

The first lady also spoke with reporters about the inspiration behind the hearts.

"I just wanted some joy,” she said. “With the pandemic, just everybody's feeling a little down. So, it's just a little joy. A little hope. That's all."

Another romantic tradition the Bidens share came to light on Inauguration Day, when the first lady wore a white flower corsage on her wrist. The president has apparently has a tradition of giving his wife corsages made from white gardenias, her favorite flower.

"It's just a tradition, and he surprised me with it," she told People. "I was surprised that people actually saw it on my wrist, but I guess with a zoom lens you see everything."

President Biden also talked about the importance of keeping romance alive even in a long marriage.

"I think it's important to — and Jill does the same thing — let each other know no matter how much time has gone by — I got criticized for saying this a while ago, but ... she comes down the steps, (my heart) still goes a little boom, boom, boom, boom,” he said. “For real."