With only two weeks left in the Oval Office, President Joe Biden continues to take care of pressing matters, including traveling to New Orleans to commiserate with the families who lost loved ones in the terrorist attack on New Year’s Day. He conducted this visit on Monday as Vice President Harris lowered the gavel, certifying Trump’s victory in the presidential election.
Accompanied by First Lady Jill Biden, the president said, during a prayer service, “I know events like this are hard. The shock and pain is still very raw. My wife Jill and I are here to stand with you, to grieve with you, to let you know you are not alone.”
He called the attack that killed 14 and injured 35 “a horrific act of terrorism,” and commended the first responders and law enforcement officers “who risked their lives to stop the terror.” He offered words of solace to the victims’ families as well.
“The day will come when the memory of your loved ones … will bring a smile to your lips before a tear to your eye,” Biden added. “It will take time, but I promise you it will come. My prayer is that that day comes sooner rather than later, but it will come, and when it does, you may find purpose in your pain, to live the life worthy of the one you lost.”
His words stood in stark contrast to claims made earlier by Trump, who blamed Biden for the atrocity, which was allegedly carried out by Shamsud-Din Jabbar, an Army vet, and Houston Realtor. He was killed by police after he left the vehicle and opened fire. Trump charged that the attack was unacceptable, inexcusable, and emblematic of a failing nation whose president ranks as the worst in history.
Trump claimed in social media posts that inadequate border protections were responsible for the massacre on Bourbon Street. He said this allowed criminals to freely enter the country and to do harm. “When I said that the criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in our country, that statement was constantly refuted by Democrats and the Fake News Media, but it turned out to be true,” he wrote on New Year’s Day after the incident.
As we have come to learn, Trump’s accusations are rarely factual or accurate, and that Jabbar was an American citizen nullifies all of his claims, although that will probably only make him double down on his comments.
There was no response from the Biden administration to Trump’s misinformation, only noting that additional federal resources will be earmarked for New Orleans for the upcoming Super Bowl and Mardi Gras festivities.
