On Tuesday, the final day of AANHPI month, BTS visited the White House to meet with President Joe Biden and discuss anti-Asian hate crimes and Asian inclusion. While the 35-minute meeting was closed to the press, the president has tweeted portions of the chat.
In a minute-long video, we see the president welcoming the group to the White House, as group member RM says, "It's an honor to meet you, Mr. President." We then see the guys sitting down in the Oval Office with Biden.
"This is an important month here in America. A lot of our Asian-American friends have been subject to real discrimination," Biden tells them. "Hate only hides. When good people talk about it and say how bad it is, it goes down. So thank you."
RM says, "We want to say thank you sincerely for your decision…such as signing the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act into law." He continues, "So we just want to be a little help, and we truly appreciate the White House and the government's trying to find solutions."
"People care a lot about what you say, and what you're doing is good for all people," Biden responds. "It's not just your great talent. It's the message you're communicating. It matters."
Biden presented the group with commemorative coins as gifts after the meeting.
"It was great to meet with you, @bts_bighit. Thanks for all you’re doing to raise awareness around the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination," the president later tweeted. "I look forward to sharing more of our conversation soon."
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