Biden to visit Royal Missionary Baptist Church in Charleston for last trip as president
President Biden will attend service at Royal Missionary Baptist Church in Charleston, S.C., for his last trip as president on Sunday, a day before President-elect Trump’s inauguration.
The president will deliver remarks at the service to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is on Monday, about King’s legacy. Biden, alongside first lady Jill Biden, will then visit the International African American Museum, where he will meet with event attendees and also deliver remarks.
Biden chose South Carolina for the last trip of his presidency after the state was pivotal to propel him to victory in 2020. Biden’s Democratic primary campaign was considered all but over until Rep. Jim Clyburn’s (D-S.C.) endorsement ahead of the Democratic South Carolina, which is largely attributed to Biden ultimately winning the nomination. Biden awarded Clyburn with the Medal of Freedom in May.
Biden made several trips to the Palmetto State during his presidency, including to attend the funeral service of Rev. Clementa Pinckney following his murder in the shooting at Mother Emmanuel Church, where a white supremacist gunman killed nine worshippers in 2015.
Biden also visited Mother Emanuel in January 2024, during which he acknowledged that he is president because of the Black community and South Carolina. His speech was interrupted by protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza at the time.
The president had planned for his last international trip of his presidency to be to Italy, but canceled the trip due to the raging wildfires in Los Angeles. Despite the cancelled trip, he awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom with distinction to Pope Francis and spoke to him by phone.