

This week at the White House, President Biden surprised musical icon Elton John with the National Humanities Medal. The presentation explained John was being honored “for moving our souls with his powerful voice and one of the defining song books of all time. An enduring icon and advocate with absolute courage, who found purpose to challenge convention, shatter stigma and advance the simple truth — that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.”
And while there were lots of really beautiful tributes from the media about the contributions Elton John has made in his life and the surprise presentation (which I’ll include further down), there’s one clip in particular that you need to see. Joe Biden accidentally says the quiet part out loud:
“It’s all his fault that we’re spending $6 billion in taxpayer money this month to help AIDS, fight HIV AIDS.”
Apparently, we’re spending $6B in taxpayer money this month on HIV and AIDS.
Biden with his arm around Elton John:
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) September 24, 2022
"It's all his fault we are spending $6 billion in tax payer dollars on HIV and AIDS this month" pic.twitter.com/Hql7RfxEsL
On his final tour, Jill and I invited Sir Elton John to the People's House.
— President Biden (@POTUS) September 24, 2022
I proudly presented @eltonofficial with the National Humanities Medal for a legacy of challenging convention, shuttering stigma, and advancing the truth that all of us deserve to be treated with dignity. pic.twitter.com/vFAkrW6lWS
Biden Surprises Elton John With National Humanities Medal .. tearing up, Elton John said he was “flabbergasted and humbled.” pic.twitter.com/EuEq9HMj9N
— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) September 24, 2022
It was an honour to perform @whitehouse and be presented by President @JoeBiden with the National Humanities Medal for my contribution to music and the work through @EJAF to end AIDS!
— Elton John (@eltonofficial) September 24, 2022
We’ve reached over 100m people with HIV and we couldn't have done it without our supporters❤️ pic.twitter.com/YiZM8eUQme
President Biden awarded Elton John the National Humanities Medal on Friday when the British superstar performed at the White House, years after sidestepping Donald Trump's overtures. https://t.co/aeBqaGZDy0 pic.twitter.com/vJun0taJNy
— The New York Times (@nytimes) September 24, 2022