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SALT LAKE CITY — First lady Jill Biden touched down in the Beehive State on Tuesday for a brief visit before traveling to California and eventually Ohio.
On Tuesday afternoon, Biden arrived at the Salt Lake City International Airport before making her way to Hunter High School in West Valley City to "celebrate educators and highlight the importance of educator wellness," according to a release from the White House. Biden, a former teacher and college professor, was joined at the school by Utah first lady Abby Cox and U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy.
"Dr. Biden and I have this passion for educators in common. She has been an advocate for teachers for as long as she's been a teacher. I love this opportunity that she and I have to come together with a shared purpose and a shared goal of uplifting our educators and making sure that you have the tools and resources that you need to be successful," Cox said.
'Educating the future'
Speaking at the school, Biden said she remembers the moment when she decided she wanted to become a teacher. An avid reader, she said she loved escaping into books to gain new perspectives or learn something new.
Realizing that so many people who can't read don't know that joy, her decision was made — she would become an English teacher.
Biden also emphasized that teachers are the backbone of the nation and an essential cog in its future.
"Today, first lady Cox and I are here to tell you that you're not alone — that we understand and we're working to honor this profession to give you the support that you deserve because there's no greater calling than educating the future," Biden said.
She added that she thinks her husband, President Joe Biden, is working to support educators in many ways but that he can't do it alone.
"Here in Utah, he doesn't have to. Thanks to the work of your governor and your first lady, Utah has taken a big step forward in paying teachers what they deserve," Biden said, a declaration that was met with strong applause from the teachers in attendance. "Supporting educators does not have to be a red issue or a blue issue — it's an American one."
Christie Rasmussen is the Utah Parent Teacher Student Association president of Hunter High School and the mother of a junior at the school. Rasmussen said it means a lot to see the first lady of the United States speaking to teachers at the school.
"Teachers are the greatest change in the world. They make it happen in their classrooms and they literally change the world through each child," Rasmussen said. "When you get the wellness of the teachers right, then the students' wellness follows."
Following this appearance, Jill Biden will spend Tuesday evening in Park City where she will speak to to supporters of her husband at two different events for the Biden Victory Fund.
The first lady's visit comes five months after her husband visited Utah. Hours before Joe Biden's arrival in August, 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 had previously threatened FBI agents should they show up at his house, according to a federal arrest warrant issued in August.
During Biden's August visit, he also attended fundraisers in Park City, met with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and spoke to veterans during an event at the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salt Lake City to commemorate the first anniversary of the PACT Act, which extended benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances.
Split welcome
While Biden's reception within the confines of Hunter High School was a warm one, the reception as the motorcade neared school property was markedly less rosy.
The Palestinian Solidarity Association of Utah held a protest against Biden's support of Israel, which it described as a "genocidal" Biden administration.
"Since Oct. 7, Biden has pledged unwavering support for Israel while they continue their colonial and genocidal onslaught against the Palestinian people. Biden has even bypassed Congress to send more weapons to the Zionist apartheid state," said a release from the association.
Signs reading "Free Palestine" and "Stop the Genocide," among many others, could be seen near the entrance of Hunter High School.
