Biden says New Orleans ‘defines strength and resilience’ in visit to city after deadly attack
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden participate in an interfaith prayer service for the victims of the deadly New Years truck attack
(CNN) — President Joe Biden said that New Orleans “defines strength and resilience” as he mourned the lives lost in the New Year’s Day terror attack, speaking at an interfaith prayer service in the city Monday evening.
“My wife, Jill, and I are here to stand with you, to grieve with you, to pray with you, to let you know you are not alone. The rest of the nation is looking at you as well. It’s not the same. We know what it’s like to lose a piece of our soul, the anger, the emptiness, the black hole that seems to be sucking you into your chest, the sense of loss,” Biden said.
He added later: “If there’s one thing we know: New Orleans defines strength and resilience. You define it, whether it’s in the form of this attack, from this attack, or hurricanes or super storms. This city and its people get back up. That’s the spirit of America as well.”
The president’s visit to New Orleans, along with first lady Jill Biden, comes days after a man drove into a crowd gathered on the city’s busy Bourbon Street just after 3 a.m. on New Year’s Day, killing 14 and injuring at least 35, according to the FBI.
The president Monday night also commemorated the victims and promised that he has directed his team to “make every resource available” to the people of the city. New Orleans received SEAR 1 status — one of the highest designations for event security by the Department of Homeland Security — for Mardi Gras events from February 21 to March 4, the White House announced Monday in a news release that also detailed the Biden administration’s response to the attack.
Ahead of the service Monday, Biden and the first lady greeted families, survivors and local law enforcement impacted by the attack. They also took a moment on Bourbon Street to lay flowers at a shrine for the victims and bow their heads in silence to remember the lives lost there.
The-CNN-Wire
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