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President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden on Monday traveled to New Orleans to meet with the families of the victims, survivors, and local law enforcement involved in the city’s New Year’s Day attack, which killed 14 people and wounded dozens of others.

Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who investigators believe was inspired by ISIS, has been identified as the perpetrator of the attack. Jabbar drove a pickup through the city’s French Quarter before plowing into people on Bourbon Street. He died in a shootout with police.

Biden met with the group privately, before he delivered remarks at an interfaith prayer service Monday evening at St. Louis Cathedral. He also met with city officials separately, including Democratic Mayor LaToya Cantrell. 

The president said that he was grieving over the deaths of the 14 individuals, and stood with the people who were injured in the attack, NBC News reported. He also promised his administration would support the French Quarter and the city as it heals.

“And if there’s one thing we know, New Orleans defines strength and resilience,” Biden said in reference to previous disasters like Hurricane Katrina. “You define it.”

The Bidens also stopped at Bourbon Street on Monday, where Jill Biden laid flowers at a memorial honoring the victims.

The White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also promised on Monday that the administration would allocate additional resources to support New Orleans’ preparations for the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras in the coming months.

“We will use every tool available to fill local capability shortfalls to assure safe and secure events,” Jean-Pierre said. “Federal assistance could include explosive detection canine teams, cyber risk assessments, venue screening and field intelligence teams and air security and tactical operation support, in addition to the support already provided by state and local governments.”

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.