First lady Jill Biden traveled to Wisconsin on Wednesday to meet with first responders and family members of the victims of a madman who drove his car through a Christmas parade in Waukesha last month.
Biden, accompanied by second gentlemen Doug Emhoff and Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, began her visit to the Badger State in Milwaukee. The delegation met with frontline health-care workers who cared for patients suffering from COVID-19 as well as victims of the Christmas parade tragedy.
Following the visit, Biden, Emhoff and Murthy spoke about the need for people to get the coronavirus vaccine at Children’s Wisconsin Hospital as the administration has encouraged children as young as 5 to get the shot.
The three also expressed their gratitude to the health care team that cared for Waukesha parade victims.
“Our nation is so grateful for you. We have not forgotten about you. We will not forget about you. And you will remain in our minds and our hearts as you continue to process, to heal and to grieve,” Murthy said to employees that tended to victims of the attack, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“The country needs healing … emotionally as well,” Biden reportedly said, in one of the few remarks to workers that were audible to reporters, according to the newspaper.
Two children injured in the parade were released from Children’s Wisconsin Hospital on Tuesday, and one child remained there in fair condition, the hospital announced.
The first lady, second gentleman and nation’s top doctor then headed to a public memorial in Waukesha, where Biden laid a bouquet of flowers on the ground and stood solemnly in silence with her delegation for about 30 seconds, according to footage from Fox 6 Now.
After that it was on to Waukesha City Hall for a private meeting with parade victims and first responders, according to the outlet.
The trip to the Wisconsin city coincided with President Biden’s visit to Kentucky, where he met with local leaders and toured the damage caused when a line of devastating tornadoes tore through the region and killed at least 74 people.
The president had been criticized for not visiting Waukesha after the parade attack and choosing instead to spend the Thanksgiving holiday at the sprawling $20 million Nantucket estate of private equity billionaire David Rubenstein.
Darrell Brooks, 39, was charged with six counts of intentional homicide over the deadly crash that also left more than 60 injured.
Brooks had been out on $1,000 cash bail at the time of the Nov. 21 parade attack for allegedly punching the mother of his child and running her over with his vehicle earlier in the month.
With Post wires