Biden, Harris to meet with AAPI leaders in Georgia following deadly spa shootings

President Joe Biden was planning to continue his "Help is Here" tour in Georgia on Friday to tout his relief bill, but the original plans have now been postponed after a shooting spree in the Atlanta area Tuesday night killed eight people, the majority of whom were women of Asian descent.

January’s Georgia Senate runoff delivered Democrats control of the Senate and made it possible for Biden to sign his $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan into law. It was going to be his second stop on the tour to highlight the bill's benefits following a brief visit to Pennsylvania, another swing state, on Tuesday.

But the White House announced on Thursday that the president and Vice President Kamala Harris will delay an "evening political event" in Atlanta on Friday so the pair can meet with Asian American leaders there "to discuss the ongoing attacks and threats against the community." Biden also issued a proclamation honoring the victims and ordered flags to half-staff on all public buildings and grounds through Sunday.

"The President will also offer his support for the AAPI community in Georgia and across the country and talk about his commitment to combating xenophobia, intolerance and hate," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday afternoon during her daily press briefing.