Mayor Bloomberg (Photo: Getty)

As President Barack Obama appeared on ABC expressing his support for legalizing same sex marriage, Mayor Michael Bloomberg issued a statement praising the announcement as a "major turning point in the history of American civil rights." Mr. Bloomberg also said that he expects gay marriage to be legalized now that it has the president's full support.

"This is a major turning point in the history of American civil rights. No American president has ever supported a major expansion of civil rights that has not ultimately been adopted by the American people--and I have no doubt that this will be no exception," Mr. Bloomberg said. "The march of freedom that has sustained our country since the Revolution of 1776 continues, and no matter what setbacks may occur in a given state, freedom will triumph over fear and equality will prevail over exclusion."

He also described the announcement as a "testament to the President’s convictions."

"It builds on the courageous stands that so many Americans have taken over the years on behalf of equal rights for gay and lesbian Americans, stretching back to the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village," Mr. Bloomberg said.

Same sex marriage has been in the headlines all week due to Vice President Joe Biden's comments he's "absolutely comfortable" with gay couples having the right to marry and yesterday's passage of a same sex marriage ban in North Carolina. Prior to today's announcement, Mr. Obama hadn't clearly come out for or against gay marriage. At a press conference yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg reiterated his support for same sex marriage and said the president's handling of the issue would affect whether he decided to make an endorsement in this year's presidential election.