Say what you will about President Obama, but this is one promise he kept.
Last month, the president met with 14-year-old Payton Wall. Payton had written a 1,500-word essay about losing her father in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and was invited to a wreath-laying ceremony at Ground Zero. (Justin Bieber egged during Sydney performance [VIDEO])
Apparently singer Justin Bieber’s address wasn’t as easy to get, but Payton sent the pop star a tweet, hoping to send him the essay as well: “Hey! I have an awful life story and without your music I don’t know if I could have survived. Do you think I could send you a letter?”
Payton reiterated her desire to meet the Biebs to President Obama when they met at the ceremony, and the president told her, “I know Justin. Maybe I could set something up.”
Though Bieber never responded directly to his fan’s tweet, he sent out a message of his own: “Pretty sure President @BarackObama will keep this promise. #payitforward.”
And keep the promise he did.
TMZ reports that the same day Payton Wall met the president at Ground Zero, the White House reached out to Bieber. Though the wheels were put in motion, Bieber was outside the country so the meeting had to wait.
That is, until Thursday, when Bieber met with Payton, her sister Avery and her friend Madison in New York City.
“It was so cool. I couldn’t even believe it,” Payton told the New York Post, admitting she was more nervous about meeting Bieber than she had been about meeting the president.
“He was really nice and is so cute,” Avery said. “He didn’t even look real.”