(CNSNews.com) - Former Vice President Joe Biden in a video interview on Wednesday with Human Right Campaign President Alphonso David recalled how President Barack Obama reacted when Biden endorsed same-sex marriage in a 2012 interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
On May 6, 2012 on “Meet the Press,” Biden said: “I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women, and heterosexual men and women marrying are entitled to the same exact rights—all the civil rights, all the civil liberties—and quite frankly I don’t see much of a distinction beyond that.”
Biden said in his interview this week with HRC President David that the day after that episode of “Meet the Press,” President Obama “gave me a big hug.”
“When I endorsed marriage equality, some people were saying: Well, what the hell’s Biden doing. You know, but the American people I knew at the time were with us,” said Biden.
“When I walked in on that Monday after ‘Meet the Press,’” Biden said, “Barack got up from his desk--the president got up from his desk--came over and gave me a big hug. And he said: ‘You told me you weren’t going to remain quiet. I’m proud of you.’”
Here is a transcript of the part of Biden’s interview with HRC President Alphonso David where he talks about his May 6, 2012 interview on “Meet the Press:”
Joe Biden: “Now, I’ll admit, you know, eight years ago today when I went on ‘Meet the Press’ I was asked how I felt about marriage equality. I wasn’t thinking about moral courage, I was just thinking about an honest answer. And that’s my problem. No one every doubts I say what I mean. The problem is I sometimes say all that I mean. The issue, so--When I endorsed marriage equality, some people were saying: Well, what the hell’s Biden doing. You know, but the American people I knew at the time were with us. When I walked in on that Monday after Meet the Press, Barack got up from his desk, the president got up from his desk, came over and gave me a big hug. And he said: You told me you weren’t going to remain quiet. I’m proud of you. And the fact is, I made a bet then. The American people already were ahead of their leaders. They were ahead of us. They were ahead of everybody. And I just knew it. We hadn’t polled on it. We polled later that—that, I think it was that week or next two weeks.
“And well over 50 percent of the American people already were there. And three years later, thanks to the courageous leadership of the Human Rights Campaign, and so many countless others, marriage equality became the law of the land.
“And all I did was speak from the heart and acknowledge and elevate extraordinary work this movement had put in to win the hearts and change minds a long time ago.”