Biden NYC visit: President's visit causes traffic nightmare
NEW YORK CITY - New Yorkers are experiencing traffic nightmares after President Joe Biden arrived in New York City to attend three campaign receptions this afternoon.
Biden arrived earlier Wednesday at the Wall Street heliport.
His first event was around 2:30 p.m. on 76th and Riverside Blvd.
Biden was on the move shortly after that and headed south toward Columbus circle, and he’s expected to attend his third and final fundraising event around 5:45 p.m. on the East Side.
He is due to be out of the city before 8 p.m., but before that drivers across NYC will mostly likely face road closures and traffic delays in the surrounding areas.
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As one NYPD officer told FOX 5 NY's Teresa Priolo, the entire West Side was locked down.
While the White House didn't disclose the exact locations, barricades were seen going up on the Upper East Side, as well as the Upper West Side.
March NY fundraiser
Meanwhile, the president is teaming up with predecessors Barack Obama and Bill Clinton next month for a New York fundraiser aimed at powering up donations for his reelection campaign. The threesome traded social media posts to reveal their plans.
The event is set for March 28, and though the Biden campaign says it hasn't settled on a venue, it is considering larger sites that would maximize attendance. That would be a break from Biden’s usual campaign stops, which have tended to feature smaller groups of supporters and donors.
US President Joe Biden in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC. (Annabelle Gordon/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"Folks – I’ll be in NYC on March 28th to support @JoeBiden. Who’s coming with me? Chip in for your chance to join," Obama posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday, over a picture of Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and the hand-written message "Let's finish the job" next to Biden's signature.
Clinton responded ironically, "Count me in. Who else is going to be there?" and Biden answered jokingly "You guys know you can just call me next time, right?"
The president has intensified fundraising efforts since December. His campaign said Tuesday that January produced its highest monthly donation total since launching in April 2023, breaking monthly records previously set in December and November of last year.
The campaign said that last month’s haul was buoyed by a write-in campaign that won Biden New Hampshire’s unsanctioned Democratic primary on Jan. 23. New Hampshire Democrats violated a new primary calendar championed by Biden, and he responded by refusing to campaign there or have his name appear on the ballot, and yet still won via write-in.
WILL WEISSERT, with the Associated Press, helped contribute to this report.