President Joe Biden had social media users cackling after he jokingly made the sign of the cross after singer Elton John dropped an f-bomb while speaking at the opening of the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center in Greenwich Village on the 55th anniversary of the historic riots that sparked America’s gay rights movement.
Elton John took the podium and said:
“As President Biden has reminded us, today, too, we face one of those seminal moments. Do we stand up for our vision and our values, or let misinformation and senseless scapegoating turn back the clock?”
"No fucking way!”
The president laughed, applauded along with those in attendance, and then raised his hands, making the sign of the cross.
You can see the moment in the video below.
People loved it, of course.
Before the event at the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center, Biden was in Raleigh, North Carolina and seemingly disregarded calls to step aside in the 2024 election, stressing that he knows "how to do this job."
The New York event struck a different note, with him saying:
"Fifty-five years ago today on this hallowed ground, a pivotal story for our nation unfolded. The soul of the nation was literally tested — that’s not hyperbole, the soul of the nation was tested — and the heart of this movement was ignited and the course of history was changed forever."
“This beloved bar became the site of a call to cry for freedom, dignity, and equality and respect. Rebellion had galvanized the LGBTQ+ community all across the nation, quite frankly all around the world.”
Biden described Stonewall “as a symbol of a legacy of the leadership” of the LGBTQ+ community, “especially trans women of color," whose retaliation against police officers kicked off the now historic riots that have galvanized the community ever since.