Selma Blair has waxed lyrical about her meeting with President Joe Biden earlier this week – seemingly ignoring the bitter reaction she faced during her trip to the White House on Monday.
The Legally Blonde actress and disability rights activist, 51, joined the president at the White House to mark the legacy of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act.
During her momentous visit, Blair, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018, gave a rousing speech after being accompanied by Biden to a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House.
While sitting with Savannah Guthrie, 51, on Thursday’s episode of the Today show, she reflected on the milestone moment in her life and called the experience an “honor,” despite coming under furious fire on Instagram for the collaboration with the president – who her followers are. was labeled ‘corrupt’ and accused him of ‘destroying the economy’.
Selma Blair gushed about meeting President Joe Biden during an interview on the Today show
She joined Savannah Guthrie on Thursday’s episode of the ABC show to unpack the event
“It was truly a tremendous honor to be there, to represent and commemorate in any way the signing of the ADA and the rehabilitation laws – and to have the people who mentored me welcome me to the community with a disability, if I have something like that, am I enough, am I not enough, where is my place?’ said Blair.
“I love being an ally. I love being welcomed by this community. I have my own disability. And this just means so much.
“And in honor of the late Judy Heumann, who, along with Jim LeBrecht, really made such changes that I didn’t realize before my own disability.”
Before delivering a speech at the White House, Blair walked arm-in-arm with Biden on the south lawn, using a cane and her service dog, an English Labrador named Scout.
Blair joked about their walk, joking, “I finally got walked down an aisle… and it was the President of the United States!”
“What an aisle it was!” Guthrie exclaimed. “By the way, Scout (Blair’s dog) stole the show again – he literally fell asleep on the President’s foot!”
“It was amazing,” Blair continued. “And that awkward microphone moment where people could hear me saying ‘sit, stay’ and President Biden looks at me and says ‘what?’
However, while Blair was full of excitement about her visit to the White House, her followers on Instagram were less than enthusiastic about her decision to join Biden, with dozens of commentators slamming her for working with the president.
The Cruel Intentions actress was joined by Biden as she also held her cane and her service dog, Scout, at the White House on Monday
Blair gave a rousing speech during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House
In the photo, she was helped by the president before and after her speech
Blair faced backlash online after uploading photos of herself and Biden to Instagram
One railed: “The average American can’t afford the medical care you get, nor a service dog, let alone your equipment, and you stand with Joe Biden who has destroyed this economy? Please.’
Another said: ‘Standing next to this man is nothing to be proud of.’
A third wrote: ‘I’ve respected you so far. Political beliefs aside, this man has hurt more people than he has helped. Ethics must come first.’
Reactions to the post have since been limited.
But Blair continued to celebrate, defiantly posting a video montage of the ceremony just 24 hours later and claiming that the “Biden-Harris administration will protect the rights of this community.”
She wrote, “On the anniversaries of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act, we honor progress hard-fought and won by disability advocates.
“These laws make our country more accessible, fairer and more equitable, but there is still more work to be done. The Biden-Harris Administration will protect the rights of this community and ensure the American Dream is for all, not just some.”
Blair, who shares son Arthur with ex Jason Bleick, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018, a disease in which the immune system attacks the protective covering of nerves.
The Cruel Intentions actress has spoken out about coming to terms with her diagnosis, previously revealing that she suffered from symptoms for years and at one point considered suicide.
In April, she told British Vogue: ‘As an adult, the fatigue and anxiety actually became terrifying. I made mistakes. I wished myself dead. Suicide attempt. A couple of times. Out of desperation.’
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs administered by federal agencies, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 prevents discrimination against the disabled in everything from employment to parking to voting.
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and Biden noted that both bills received bipartisan support in passing Congress.