The Delawareans had a presidential showdown.
Aubrey Plaza revealed Friday that she and the future president of the United States had a “stare-down” while attending a “Joe Biden youth leadership conference” when she was 16 years old.
“The whole point of the conference was to allow students to speak out on different issues,” the 38-year-old actress told the New Yorker. “They shuttled us from room to room, and there was a different speaker in each room, and it was all leading up to this climax where we were going to sit in the auditorium, and Joe himself was going to get up onstage and give his speech.”
According to the “White Lotus” star, she was “really angry” about the event because she felt that the students present weren’t given enough time to voice their complaints.
“I had a stare-down with Joe Biden from the audience, because he asked how it went, and I raised my hand immediately,” said Plaza. “I was, like, ‘It’s bulls – – t. This conference sucks. You didn’t let us talk. This was supposed to be about the students.’ “
The “Parks and Recreation” actress said that Biden was not happy with the statement.
“He did not like it,” recalled Plaza. “I remember his face got really red. He used to get really fiery when he would make speeches. It was crazy.”
The duo reunited several years later when Biden was vice president and the cast of “Parks and Recreation” filmed an episode at the White House with a Biden cameo.
“Before the tour, I saw him, and he knew my name,” she said. “He always tells me the same story. His first wife went to the same high school that I went to.”
“So he always tells me about how he used to wait outside the convent for her, because it’s an all-girls Catholic school — and it’s a very sweet story, but I’ve heard it a lot. I was, like, ‘I know, Joe! She went to Ursuline [Academy]!’ “
Plaza revealed that on a tour of the veep’s office, she found out that Biden had been briefed on her.
“I saw a note on his desk that had been written by his assistant on official White House stationery that said, ‘Aubrey Plaza’ — underlined — ‘Wilmington, Delaware,’ ” recalled Plaza. ” ‘You met her at the Joe Biden youth-leadership conference when she was 16.’ ”
“I was, like, ‘I knew it! He doesn’t remember me at all!’ “
It was then Plaza decided to take the note off of his desk.
“I pocketed it, and Mike Schur, the creator of ‘Parks and Rec’, was horrified,” said Plaza. “He was like, ‘You cannot steal from the White House!’ And I was like, ‘I don’t give a s – – t! I know what he did! He didn’t know me!’ “
Despite stealing from the most secure place in America, Plaza said she accidentally lost the piece of paper.
“Can you imagine if I’d kept it? I could’ve framed it or sold it. Now he’s the president — I had no idea,” continued Plaza. “But, yeah, I stole it right off his desk. And there’s got to be cameras in the White House. But they didn’t do anything to me.”
In a turn of events, Biden crashed Plaza’s stint as host of “Saturday Night Live” when the president filmed a message congratulating Plaza for being voted “the most famous person out of Delaware.”