President Biden poked fun at his viral “big f—— deal” hot mic moment from 2010 when former President Obama visited the White House on Tuesday, warning the 44th commander in chief about the open microphone during an event focused on the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Before leaving the podium to sign an executive order, Biden reminded Obama that the microphone was on.
“Now, I’m gonna sign an executive order, and, Barack, let me remind you: It’s a hot mic,” Biden said, eliciting laughs and applause from the crowd.
The two presidents then hugged before heading with Vice President Harris to a desk where Biden signed an executive order titled “Continuing to Strengthen Americans’ Access to Affordable, Quality Health Coverage.”
The remark paid homage to the 2010 moment when Biden was caught on a hot mic telling Obama that the signing of the ACA, often referred to as ObamaCare, was a ”big f—— deal.”
Obama also referenced the more than 10-year-old comment in his remarks at the White House on Tuesday, saying the ACA is “a pretty big deal.” The former president said he was quoting “a famous American” in making the remark.
“The reason we’re here today is because President Biden, Vice President Harris, everybody who’s worked on this thing understood from the start that the ACA wasn’t perfect. To get the bill passed, we had to make compromises. We didn’t get everything we wanted. That wasn’t a reason not to do it. If you can get millions of people health coverage and better protection, it is, to quote a famous American, a pretty big deal,” Obama said.
The audience responded with laughs and applause, and Biden crossed his heart before smiling.
The viral comment has come up a number of times during Biden’s presidency. In June, White House chief of staff Ron Klain tweeted that “it’s still a BFD” after the Supreme Court upheld ObamaCare against a GOP challenge.
During a CNN town hall in October, Anderson Cooper invoked the viral comment, asking Biden if his Build Back Better plan was a “bigger f’ing deal.”
“The answer is yes, this is bigger,” Biden said after crossing his heart and grinning at the question.
Obama joined Biden at the White House on Tuesday, marking the first time he returned to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. since leaving office. The former commander in chief took part in an event that highlighted efforts to strengthen the ACA.