West Village preps for Biden's Stonewall visit following difficult debate

President Joe Biden is visiting the Stonewall National Monument Friday, fresh off a debate performance that many have said was uneven and worrying.

As he enters one of the biggest bastions of liberalism in the U.S., the president is looking for a little love as he opens the memorial at 51 Christopher next to the Stonewall Inn bar. The opening marks the 55th anniversary of the police raid turned demonstration that was a watershed in the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.

New Yorkers who were milling about the area Friday morning said they were disappointed about last night’s debate, but would still give Biden a warm welcome.

“He’ll have a warm and enthusiastic reception because all of the elected officials here for the most part will be Democratic,” said Nathaniel Siegel.

Visitors from out of state said they too expected a good showing for the president.

“It’s New York City,” said Reese Dawson who’s visiting from Minneapolis. “People still love him and I think they understand.”

Michael Haar, the owner of a nearby barbershop, said he was ambivalent about the visit because his “number one concern is on my business.” But despite the high-profile event and tightened security, his shop was still operating normally with high demand.

According to data from the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, 9 million LGBTQ+ adults were registered and eligible to vote in the last presidential election, with 50% registered as Democrats.

Two days ago, Biden pardoned thousands of former military members who were convicted of violating a now-revoked ban on consensual sex between two people of the same gender.

The event is expected to kick off at 4 p.m.