President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are traveling to Charleston, South Carolina, on Jan. 19 to attend a service at Royal Missionary Baptist Church in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday.
Biden will honor King’s legacy and the continued efforts to make King’s dream that his “four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” a reality. After the 11 a.m. ET service, Biden will meet event attendees at the African American Museum, where the president will deliver additional remarks.
Biden chose South Carolina as his last official trip as president. He attended the funeral service of Rev. Clementa Pinckney in 2015, who was murdered in a mass shooting at Mother Emmanuel AME Church. During remarks at Sunday services after Pinckney’s funeral, Biden described how churchgoers gave him strength following the death of his son Beau.
Biden returned to Mother Emmanuel as president in 2024, speaking on the continued efforts to combat racial injustice for “the Soul of the Nation.”
Biden campaigned extensively in South Carolina as a candidate in 2020 and secured the endorsement of Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.). When Biden clinched the state during the 2020 primaries, it was a pivotal moment in becoming the Democratic presidential nominee.
When the president visited Mother Emmanuel in 2024, Biden praised his relationship with both the state and Clyburn.
“It’s because of this congregation and the black community of South Carolina and—not exaggeration—and Jim Clyburn that I stand here today as your president, because of all of you. That’s a fact. That’s a fact. And I owe you,” Biden said.
Biden had planned to visit Italy as the last international trip of his presidency, but the trip was canceled due to the California wildfires. The president still awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction to Pope Francis and spoke with him by phone.
This is a developing story.