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SALT LAKE CITY — President Joe Biden and Air Force One touched down at the Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base at the Salt Lake City International Airport on Wednesday afternoon.
Biden was greeted by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, first lady Abby Cox, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson. The president spent several minutes talking with them on the tarmac but did not speak to the multiple dozen media representatives in attendance.
Wilson said Biden spoke to her and the other leaders about unity and bipartisanship and commended the Democratic mayors and Republican governor on working together.
"I can't imagine that anyone in this state would object to the president's message today — speaking to us a message of unity," she said.
Wilson said the president showed bipartisanship by coming to Western state where he isn't doing well in the polls.
"I'll tell ya, Air Force One coming in is pretty special," she said. "To see it land here in Utah is so meaningful."
Following the initial greetings, the governor and his wife joined Biden in the motorcade, which was made up of more than 20 vehicles — most of them unmarked — along with ambulances and Utah Highway Patrol vehicles.
While not confirmed, Biden is believed to be staying at the Hotel Monaco in downtown Salt Lake City. The entire section of 200 South between South West Temple Street and Main Street was blocked off Wednesday evening with heavy police and Secret Service presence near the hotel and up and down the street.
The blocked-off section of 200 South was occupied by four large excavators and many vehicles from the motorcade.
Some Utahns lingered outside the gates for the chance to sneak a peek at the commander in chief. Paula, a Bountiful resident who declined to give her last name, said that she got to see the tail end of Biden's motorcade pull into downtown Salt Lake City.
Pretty significant police presence near Hotel Monaco in downtown SLC. The street the hotel sits on is blocked off completely and occupied by the @POTUS motorcade. pic.twitter.com/xYema8oAtr
— Logan Stefanich (@loganstefanich) August 9, 2023
As a self-described "true blue" Democrat and retired federal employee, Paula said that Biden's visit means a lot to her.
"It means to me that Utah still matters, even for Democrats," Paula said. "My message would be to him (Biden), is that I'm so proud of him and the good that he's done. Even though some would say that he hasn't ... I would say he's done amazing things."
Several Democratic leaders in Utah spoke about their excitement around Biden's visit to Utah, especially since Utah is a Republican-dominated state.
"We're just so excited to have him here. I think it's going to be a great moment for the Democrats in the state of Utah and have them realize that our president does think about us and that he will show up in a very red state," said Diane Lewis, chairwoman of the Utah Democratic Party.
Longtime Biden surrogate and former Utah State Senator, Scott Howell, was asked by the White House to help plan Biden's visit to the state and said that the president's visit to Utah shows who Joe Biden really is.
"It means the world to every Utahn," Powell told KSL NewsRadio. "Forget about your politics and think about the leader of the free world coming to one of the most red states. He's not afraid to go out to a territory that's not that friendly."
President's Western tour
Utah is the latest stop in the president's Western tour, which included stops in Arizona on Tuesday and New Mexico earlier Wednesday.
While in Arizona, Biden visited the Grand Canyon, where he signed a proclamation to establish a new national monument, the Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni — Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument.
In New Mexico, Biden spoke about clean energy investments his administration has made as part of legislation that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
While the details surrounding Biden's visit are few-and-far-between, he will be speaking Thursday morning at the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salt Lake City to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the PACT Act.
At that speech, the president will be joined by Spencer Cox and likely several — if not all — Democratic lawmakers.
Utah's House Minority Leader Angela Romero said, "All House and Senate Democrats have been invited."
After his appearance in Salt Lake City, Biden will be in Park City Thursday for a fundraiser hosted by Kristi and John Cumming, founder of ski resort company Powdr, and Nancy and Mark Gilbert, a former U.S. ambassador. The event is being advertised as a fundraiser for the Biden Victory Fund, the committee backing Biden's 2024 reelection campaign.
With any presidential visit comes delays that impact public transportation, as well as drivers.
The Salt Lake City Police Department tweeted downtown Salt Lake City should expect road closures and traffic delays from Wednesday until 4:30 p.m. Thursday.
The Utah Transit Authority said users should expect "possible service impacts" on TRAX and FrontRunner on Wednesday and Thursday.
Hours before Biden's arrival, a Provo man who posted threatening comments about Biden online, was shot and killed by FBI agents. Agents were serving a search and arrest warrant at the residence of Craig Deeleuw Robertson, 75. Robertson also made threatened FBI agents should they show up at his house, according to a federal arrest warrant issued Tuesday.
Contributing: Cassidy Wixom
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