President Joe Biden praised New Orleans’ resilience after the ISIS-inspired terrorist attack on Bourbon Street and made a joke about the rescheduled Sugar Bowl Thursday afternoon.
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 his remarks on the confirmation of 235 judges to the court during his tenure.
‘New Orleans is a city of tremendous spirit. You can’t keep it down. You really can’t,” Biden said in the State Dining Room of the White House.
‘And we’re seeing that today the Sugar Bowl is back. Kickoff is going to start soon,” he said. “If I don’t get this damn thing done, we’ll be in real trouble,” he joked.
‘The people of New Orleans are sending an unmistakable message. They will not let this attack, the attacks or the deceptive ideology of the attackers overcome us,’ Biden said, minutes before the game began after a spontaneous chant after the National Anthem.
He said the government would “continue to relentlessly pursue ISIS and other terrorist organizations wherever they are,” and said they would find no “safe harbor.” Authorities say the attacker had an ISIS flag inside his electric Ford F-150 pickup truck.
His comments came after the FBI announced that, contrary to some previous information, investigators believe the attacker acted alone.
“They have no information that anyone else was involved in the attack,” Biden said.
President Joe Biden provided an update on the investigation into the terrorist attack in New Orleans. He joked about not extending his comments to the rescheduled Sugar Bowl.
He said federal authorities and the intelligence community were investigating “any domestic or foreign contacts (or) connections that may be relevant to the attack.”
He said they would also investigate any connection between the New Orleans attack and a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside the Trump Las Vegas hotel on New Year’s Day.
“So far…they have found no evidence of such a connection,” Biden said. Authorities said Thursday that the attacker, a decorated Army veteran, shot himself in the head before the explosion and could have caused even more damage.
Biden arrived late to his first public event. He said he had brought the entire defense and national security apparatus together for a meeting and that the FBI had briefed him.
Biden joked with his old friend and former colleague, Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), at the event.
Security personnel stand guard outside Caesars Superdome ahead of the 2025 Sugar Bowl after the deadly truck attack in New Orleans.
The barricade where a truck ran over and plowed into a crowd on New Year’s Day stands aside on Bourbon Street, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans.
He also delivered a message that aired on ESPN at the beginning of coverage of the matchup between Georgia and Notre Dame.
‘Today, all of America represents the people of New Orleans, we pray for those killed and injured in yesterday’s attack. “We are grateful, we are grateful to those brave first responders who took the same lives,” Biden said, speaking to the camera from the White House.
“We’re glad the game is back for today. But I’m not surprised, because the spirit of New Orleans can never be suppressed. And that goes for the spirit of America, too. Just remember who we are. We are the United States of America “There is nothing, nothing beyond our ability when we do it together. God bless New Orleans and God protect our troops,” he said.