Biden cracks jokes about college football during update on attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas
President Joe Biden praised New Orleans’ resilience after the ISIS-inspired terrorist attack on Bourbon Street — and made a joke Thursday afternoon about the relocated Sugar Bowl.
The 81-year-old gave an update on the investigation into the rampage that killed 14 people on New Year’s Eve, at the start of comments on the appointment of 235 judges during his term.
‘New Orleans is a city with a tremendous spirit. You can’t hold it in. That’s really not possible,” Biden said in the State Dining Room of the White House.
“And we see that today the Sugar Bowl is active again. The kick-off will commence very soon,” he noted. “If I don’t get this damn thing done, we’re really going to be in trouble,” he joked.
“The people of New Orleans are sending an unmistakable message. They will not let this attack, the attacks, or the attackers’ misguided ideology overcome us,” Biden said minutes before the game started, following an impromptu chant after the national anthem.
He said the government would “relentlessly pursue ISIS and other terrorist organizations wherever they are located,” saying they would not find a “safe haven.” Authorities say the attacker had an ISIS flag in his electric Ford F-150 truck.
His comments came after the FBI announced that, contrary to previous information, investigators believe the attacker acted alone.
“They have no information that anyone else is involved in the attack,” Biden said.
President Joe Biden provided an update on the investigation into the New Orleans terrorist attack. He joked about not expanding his comments to the rescheduled Sugar Bowl
He said federal law enforcement and the intelligence community are investigating “any foreign or domestic contact.” [or] connection [that] may be relevant to the attack.
He said they would also investigate any link between the attack in New Orleans and a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day.
“So far … they haven’t found any evidence of such a link,” Biden said. Authorities said Thursday that the attacker, a decorated army veteran, shot himself in the head before the explosion and could have caused more damage.
Biden was late for his first public event. He said he had gathered the entire defense and national security apparatus for a meeting and had been briefed by the FBI.
Biden joked with longtime friend and former colleague Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) during the event.
Security personnel stand guard outside the Caesars Superdome before the 2025 Sugar Bowl following the deadly New Orleans truck crash
The barricade where a truck drove past a crowd on New Year’s Day is to the side on Bourbon Street, Thursday, January 2, 2025 in New Orleans
He also delivered a message that aired on ESPN at the beginning of coverage of the Georgia-Notre Dame game.
“Today all of America stands for the people of New Orleans. We pray for those killed and injured in yesterday’s attack. We are grateful – we are grateful for those courageous first responders who lived those same lives,” Biden said to the camera from the White House.
‘We are happy that the match is going ahead again today. But that doesn’t surprise me, because the spirit of New Orleans can never be suppressed. And so does the spirit of America. Just remember who we are. We are the United States of America. There is nothing, nothing that is beyond our ability if we do it together. “God bless New Orleans and God protect our troops,” he said.