President Joe Biden has jumped onto a nihilistic meme trend launched by the children's TV show character Elmo in the latest collision of ironic online culture and the real-life political process.

On Monday, beloved Sesame Street resident Elmo asked the internet a simple and friendly question, "How is everybody doing?"

The responses that Elmo received were largely about the ways that people were not doing very well and many took a turn, expressing hostility towards the famous puppet.

Many online also took the chance to open up to Elmo, sharing their concerns and worries. This rapidly veered into a mass trauma dump on the character who had been a friend to many young people throughout their early childhood.

Biden's intervention in the Elmo discourse was to agree with the puppet and offer a wholesome take. But not every commenter saw it that way.

For some, the viral moment was a chance to criticize the Biden administration for its relationship with Israel. Others imagined what Donald Trump might have to say about recent events on Sesame Street.

As the 2024 election nears, both Biden and Trump are the presumptive nominees of their parties and so are actively courting the votes of people who get their news and entertainment on the internet.

If the response to Elmo's harmless, simple check-in offers any insight into the public mood, it is maybe a grim one: We're going through a lot right now, E.