President Biden said Tuesday he was not sure whether he will visit the Chicago suburb where a gunman murdered six people and injured more than 30 others at a Fourth of July parade — as Vice President Kamala Harris travels to the Windy City later in the day for a pre-planned trip.
“I’m not sure,” Biden told reporters as he departed a Medal of Honor event in the White House East Room when asked whether a trip was in the offing.
The White House later announced that Biden had ordered the American flag to be flown at half-staff on public property until sunset on Saturday in recognition of the tragedy in Highland Park, Ill.
Harris confirmed hours after the shooting that she still intended to speak Tuesday afternoon at the National Education Association teachers union summit in downtown Chicago. It’s unclear if she will make a short trip north to Highland Park to comfort families and the community.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed to reporters later Tuesday that there is no plan to send Biden to Illinois just yet.
“The Vice President is going to be there and she will speak to the devastation that we — that we all saw with our own eyes yesterday in Highland Park, but I don’t have anything to share about the President’s travel tomorrow,” Jean-Pierre said, referring to a previously scheduled trip by Biden to Cleveland.”But again, nothing to share about him going to Chicago at this time.”
When pressed about whether the president wants to travel to Highland Park, Jean-Pierre emphasized, “I just don’t have anything to say about any travel to Illinois.”
Police on Monday night arrested Robert E. “Bobby” Crimo III in connection with the bloodshed.
President Biden has not decided on visiting Highland Park, Illinois, following the deadly shooting on July 4, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Law enforcement escorts a family and their dogs to safety in Highland Park, Illinois, on July 4, 2022. Mark Borenstein/Getty Images
Illinois state police officers arrive in Highland Park in the wake of the fatal shooting. TANNEN MAURY/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Multiple children’s bicycles and scooters were left behind at the scene of the shooting in Highland Park, Illinois. YOUNGRAE KIM/AFP via Getty Images
Alleged Highland Park shooter Robert E. “Bobby” Crimo III reportedly had a history of posting violent content on social media. City of Highland Park/Handout via Reuters
President Biden has ordered American flags to be flown half-staff in response to the Highland Park shooting. AP Photo/Evan VucciBiden didn’t mention the shooting while awarding the Medal of Honor to four Vietnam War veterans at the White House Tuesday. On Monday afternoon, the president surprised listeners by hardly mentioning the tragedy during a July Fourth speech on the White House lawn.
“Y’all heard what happened today,” was Biden’s only direct reference to the mass shooting.
Two hours later, the president returned to the White House lawn ahead of an Independence Day fireworks display and gave more extensive remarks before leading a moment of silence for the victims.
Vice President Kamala Harris is planning to visit Chicago for the National Education Association teachers union summit. REUTERS/Barbara Davidson 
Vice President Harris apparently commented on the Highland Park shooting while meeting with firefighters in Santa Monica, California. REUTERS/Barbara Davidson
Authorities apprehended alleged Highland Park shooter Robert E. “Bobby” Crimo III.
An American flag blanket was left behind along the parade route in Highland Park, Illinois. REUTERS/Cheney Orr
At least 30 people were injured during the shooting rampage in Highland Park, Illinois. Jim Vondruska/Getty Images
A woman walks by a pool of blood at Port Clinton Square in Highland Park, Illinois. Lynn Sweet/Chicago Sun-Times via APBiden previously traveled to the sites of other mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, Texas, within days of the respective atrocities. Apart from the Cleveland trip, no other presidential travel is planned outside the Washington area this week.
