On Sunday, the day before President-elect Trump's inauguration, President Biden will attend a service at the Royal Missionary Baptist Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in his final visit as president.
The president is scheduled to give a speech about Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy on Monday at a service commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Mr. Biden will then visit the International African American Museum with First Lady Jill Biden, where he will meet with event participants and give a speech.
Biden chose South Carolina as his final stop in his presidential term because the state was critical to leading him to victory in 2020. Biden's Democratic primary campaign was thought to be all but over until U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn (D.C.) announced his support ahead of other Southern Democrats. The Carolinas were largely due to Biden ultimately winning the nomination. Biden awarded Clyburn the Medal of Freedom in May.
Biden has visited the Palmetto State several times during his presidential term, including in Clementa after the 2015 shooting at Mother Emanuel Church, where a white supremacist gunman killed nine worshipers.・Includes attending Reverend Pinkney's funeral.
Biden also visited Mother Emanuel in January 2024, during which he acknowledged that he owes his presidency to the Black community and the state of South Carolina. At the time, his speech was interrupted by protesters calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
The president was scheduled to make his final overseas trip to Italy, but canceled the trip due to wildfires raging in Los Angeles. Despite the trip being canceled, he awarded Pope Francis the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom and spoke with him by phone.
