Barack Obama makes first presidential visit to Utah

SALT LAKE CITY – The White House announced Monday that President Barack Obama will be visiting Utah Friday.

White House officials released the following statement Monday morning concerning the president’s upcoming travel plans:

On Thursday, April 2, the President will travel to Louisville, Kentucky for an event on the economy. Friday, April 3, the President will visit Hill Air Force Base in Utah for an event on the economy. Further details about the President’s travel to Kentucky and Utah will be available in the coming days.

It will be Obama’s first visit to Utah as president of the United States. After Utah, South Dakota remains the one state the president has yet to visit during his tenure in office.

I hope to take the opportunity to talk to him about issues that are near and dear to our hearts,” Gov. Gary Herbert said, as reported by KUER.org. “Some of the health care issues that we’ve debated here in this past legislative session that I hope that we can maybe get some answers to on capping costs so we don’t have a program we buy today that we can’t afford tomorrow.”

“Always good to have a president in Utah,” Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who represents Utah’s 3rd congressional district, told the The Salt Lake Tribune.

The president has received various invitations to visit Utah.

Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker has invited the president to visit the state, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. The Utah Senate also passed a resolution, Senate Resolution 3, which invites the president and his family to visit and tour Utah’s “Mighty Five” national parks. A Facebook petition was also set up with the purpose of asking Obama to visit Utah.

Sen. Jim Dabakis, sponsor of SR 3, spoke for the Utah Senate Democrats concerning the pending presidential visit in the following statement:

Over the last several weeks we set up a Facebook petition which garnered over 10,000 signatures of Utahns. Additionally, the Utah Senate passed a resolution (SR3, the vote 21-5) inviting the President to come to Utah. Today, he graciously accepted and we are delighted!

We wish the President was coming for a longer stay with the First Family. More time is needed to explore the most beautiful scenery on earth, but apparently the demands of the job are prohibitive of a longer stay now. In the Resolution and Facebook petition, we chided the White House for visiting 48 other states and 48 countries (including India twice) before visiting Utah as President but we are thrilled he is coming and hope he will see our beautiful mountains and enjoy some green jello on his trip. The magnificent four (and me) Utah Democratic State Senators have asked to be allowed to ride on Air Force One when the President arrives in Utah Friday. The White House was unable to immediately respond to the request.

The president’s predecessor, Pres. George W. Bush, last visited Utah as president in 2006. He visited Utah three other times, including during the beginning of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

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18 Comments

  • ladybugavenger March 30, 2015 at 7:55 pm

    There is no doubt the President is coming to a beautiful state with beautiful mountains.

  • Bender March 30, 2015 at 8:16 pm

    Headline writer: Obama TO MAKE First….

    • Avatar photo Cami Cox Jim March 30, 2015 at 10:36 pm

      Associated Press style mandates present-tense in headlines.

      • fun bag March 31, 2015 at 12:15 am

        I think bender is right

      • NotSoFast March 31, 2015 at 7:55 am

        Then you should have waited till April 2 to report it. Scoop it after it happens

      • Bender March 31, 2015 at 1:46 pm

        I believe you are misinterpreting the AP guidelines and are certainly ignoring their intent — to clearly communicate the story. If you dogmatically insist on present tense you should have gone with something like “Obama Plans First Utah Presidential Visit”. Your current headline attempts to bend the laws of physics and squash the future into the present. It plainly, and incorrectly, states that the event is currently happening, or has recently happened.
        .
        Here’s what KU says about headline tense:
        Present tense, please: Use present tense for immediate past information, past tense for past perfect, and future tense for coming events.

  • fun bag March 30, 2015 at 10:22 pm

    uh oh! err’body hide ur guns, quick!

  • Freelance March 31, 2015 at 3:12 am

    Yo.! wad up Buckwheat.!

  • Brian March 31, 2015 at 8:36 am

    He has a sure-fire “tell” that always lets you know when he’s lying: his lips move.

  • mesaman March 31, 2015 at 5:32 pm

    This news sends me into a fake rapture. Still the dud is our president; I hope Utahns do nothing to make it a freaky Friday.

  • fun bag March 31, 2015 at 6:39 pm

    Can anyone recommend a good hiding place for my guns? I hear that Obama can stiff out them guns better than any ol’ hound dog.

  • yljim March 31, 2015 at 6:43 pm

    So this is the POTUS that is known for inclusion? Amazing how he has ignored the red states unless he is trying to promote racial or economic conflict.
    He avoids the God respecting states and spends most of his time pandering to the racist Hollywood one percenters.

    • CaliGirl April 1, 2015 at 5:52 am

      Obviously, POTUS doesn’t descriminate, Sen. Jim Dabakis and the “magnificent four” have been kicked to the curb in thier quest to hitch a ride on Air Force 1. Photo op – DENIED!

  • izzymuse March 31, 2015 at 7:19 pm

    Has a president ever visited Southern Utah? We have Zion Ntl Park. …and ….what else? …um …I’m drawing a blank.
    Never mind.

    • mesaman March 31, 2015 at 8:27 pm

      Let me help, Izzy. We have woundfin minnows, lovely but overrated Sun River, a rundown movie house that’s costing millions to restore, thousands of whining democrats, most new immigrants, and a giant bull on top of a bullpen, and polygamists. Now fill in the blank.

      • fun bag March 31, 2015 at 10:07 pm

        you forgot we have Bringem Young’s temple of “the one true church”. and mesquite down the road with a couple crappy casinos and plentiful liquor if you get too bored.

      • NotSoFast March 31, 2015 at 10:45 pm

        Now that was good MESAMAN. You ever thought about running for Major?
        Just saying.

      • Freelance April 1, 2015 at 2:05 am

        Yeah mesaman you being here don’t help any

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