2024-07-24 00:45:03
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
President Joe Biden is no longer planning to visit Houston this week to assess the city’s recovery efforts after Hurricane Beryl, officials said.
The cancelled trip comes days after Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the presidential seat. Last week he tested positive for COVID-19 while on his campaign trail.
“We are deeply grateful for the timely call from Mr. Biden after the storm, and his support is proving invaluable in addressing our long-term needs,” according to the mayor’s office.
During a press conference on Sunday, Houston Mayor John Whitmire said he respects Biden’s decision to not seek reelection.
“I think he’s made all of us proud with his public service record,” he said. “I think he competes with me in spending most of your adult life as a public servant.”
“I wish him well, but right now my real focus is on Houstonians and their recovery and try to make things better for Houston,” Whitmire said.
RELATED: Houston “better prepared than ever” for Hurricane Beryl, mayor says
Biden was set to arrive in Houston on Thursday.
Political tension heated up after Beryl when the Houston Chronicle first reported that Biden said he had difficulties contacting state leaders so they could secure the disaster declaration request needed for federal aid. Then Governor Greg Abbott refuted the president’s comments.
RELATED: Exclusive: Lina Hidalgo refutes Dan Patrick’s claims that she did not request aid for Harris County for Hurricane Beryl
A physician to Biden said on Monday his COVID-19 symptoms have “almost resolved completely.” During a call into his campaign headquarters Monday, the president urged he would get back out on the road to campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris and her bid for the presidential seat, according to AP.
Biden earlier this month postponed a visit to the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin after an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania July 13.
