Live updates: President Biden is in Raleigh to talk vaccines. The latest on his visit.
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The News & Observer is publishing live updates of President Joe Biden’s remarks at Raleigh’s Green Road Community Center Thursday.
Biden is visiting North Carolina for the first time as president and is here to encourage people to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Check back here for more updates.
Biden to meet with nurses
President Joe Biden is expected to meet with nurses from WakeMed who have been vaccinating people throughout Raleigh since December, before he delivers remarks at around 5:15 pm.
Leading that group is Carolyn Knaup, a registered nurse for more than 30 years who administered the vaccine to Gov. Roy Cooper in March.
— Avi Bajpai, abajpai@newsobserver.com
President Biden arrives
UPDATED AT 4:39 P.M.: President Joe Biden arrived at the Green Road Community Center at 4:24 p.m., the White House press pool reported.
Reporters in the motorcade said a few dozen onlookers took photos and waved as Biden left the airport and they were greeted by a few dozen more onlookers at the community center.
Biden is expected to tour the mobile vaccination site before giving a speech.
—Danielle Battaglia, dbattaglia@newsobserver.com.
Supporters and opponents await President Biden’s arrival
UPDATED AT 4:34 P.M.: As President Joe Biden makes his way to the Green Road Community Center in Raleigh, people have gathered outside to see him.
Maureen McFadden, 79, and Kathey Alman, 77, both of Raleigh, drove to the community center to sit in beach chairs in the driveway across from the Green Road Community Library.
They say they are excited the president is coming to North Carolina to encourage people to get vaccinated and encourage civic engagement.
“You get the people involved,” McFadden said. “People like Kathy and me, not only people our age, but young people are here and those people will hopefully talk to their legislators.”
Nearby, a couple dozen supporters of former President Donald Trump also waited for Biden’s arrival. They carried anti-vaccination posters and flags honoring Trump and the Confederacy.
— Laura Brache, lbrache@newsobserver.com
President Biden lands in Raleigh, NC
UPDATED AT 4:18 P.M.: President Joe Biden arrived in Raleigh at 3:45 p.m. Thursday, according to White House pool reports.
Biden exited the plane at 3:56 p.m. and spoke with Gov. Roy Cooper and Michael Regan, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the report states.
The president left the airport just after 4 p.m. and is expected to make his way to the Green Road Community Center within 25 minutes.
Many media outlets are reporting that his motorcade has closed major roadways including Capital Boulevard.
The intersection of Green Road and Brockton Drive has been blocked off by the Raleigh Police Department Mobile Command Center and some additional police vehicles.
The White House is reporting that Biden’s speech should begin at 5:15 p.m.
— Danielle Battaglia, dbattaglia@newsobserver.com, and Laura Brache, lbrache@newsobserver.com
Crowds, protesters await President Biden’s arrival
UPDATED 3:20 P.M.: A crowd of a few hundred people, most of them volunteers and front line workers with local nonprofits that have been helping administer vaccines in the Triangle, are at the Green Road Community Center awaiting Biden.
Originally scheduled to arrive at the center at 4:50 p.m., Biden is now expected to be delayed by at least an hour, after he gave remarks on infrastructure talks with members of Congress prior to departing Washington.
A small group of supporters of former president Donald Trump were assembled outside the center, holding Trump signs.
—Avi Bajpai, abajpai@newsobserver.com
Where Biden is going and how to watch
In his first presidential visit to North Carolina, Joe Biden will meet with the people on the front lines of his administration’s vaccination effort in Raleigh.
Biden goes to Green Road Community Center in Northeast Raleigh on Thursday afternoon, where he’ll visit a mobile vaccination unit and kick off a canvassing event. He’s scheduled to arrive at the center at 4:50 p.m. and speak at 5:15 p.m.
Biden’s speech will be streamed online. You can watch the remarks on this page or go directly to the White House livestream.
With the state set to fall well short of his goal on vaccination, the president is trying to encourage people to get COVID-19 shots.
Gov. Roy Cooper’s office said the governor would join Biden on Thursday.
Air Force One is due to arrive at Raleigh-Durham International Airport at 3:30 p.m. and fly out of RDU at 6:35 p.m.
—Jordan Schrader, jschrader@newsobserver.com
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