President Biden will deliver a swan song address on Thursday at the premier gala celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in Washington, headlining the event in person for the third year in a row.
Ahead of Biden’s appearance at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) gala, on Wednesday Vice President Harris will address the annual CHCI conference that precedes the party.
Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will also host a Hispanic Heritage Month reception at the White House.
“It is an honor to have President Biden and Vice President Harris participate in this year’s CHCI Leadership Conference and Gala as we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month,” said CHCI Board Chair Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.).
“Their participation is a powerful reminder of the administration’s consistent work to deliver for Latino families and communities,” Espaillat added. “We are appreciative of their ongoing efforts and are honored to have them join this year’s events.”
The 2024 gala will be the 47th edition of the event, which traditionally invites sitting presidents to address the audience.
Presidents Carter, Reagan, Clinton, George W. Bush and Obama all spoke at the event; President George H.W. Bush was invited all four years of his presidency, but was unable to attend.
Former President Trump’s invitation was pulled in 2017 amid family separations at the border, and he never attended the event.
Biden delivered the keynote at the 2020 event as the Democratic presidential nominee and the 2021 event as president, though those editions were held online because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In 2023, Harris – as Biden’s vice president and running mate – was interviewed onstage by actor John Leguizamo amid a college tour that ultimately foreshadowed Harris’s rallies as nominee.
“I’ve embarked on this college tour. And I know that everyone here knows the CHCI, with what you’re doing with the intern — the interns here, with the fellowship program, which you’ve been doing for years, bringing up and lifting up our young leaders, and — and I just decided I wanted to get out of D.C. and get on the road and be with our young leaders where they are,” Harris told Leguizamo.
The CHCI appearance is part of a busier post-debate media schedule for Harris, who had been criticized as being too walled off.
“Both President Biden and Vice President Harris’ dedicated work and historic achievements speak to the power of perseverance, and their commitment to using public service to deliver for families reflects a central value of our leadership programs at CHCI,” said Marco Davis, president and CEO of CHCI.
“We look forward to welcoming them to the Conference and Gala, where their insights will inspire our network of leaders who will continue to shape the future of our nation,” Davis continued.
