President Biden visits Trinidad!

This morning, President Joe Biden had this item on his public schedule for 11:45am: “The President visits a small business that has benefited from a Paycheck Protection Program loan, Location TBD, Washington D.C.”

Washington CityPaper journalist Laura Hayes, through a nearby source, identified that the surprise visit might be Trinidad’s own W.S. Jenks and Son, the city’s oldest hardware store. The store, originally located downtown, hosts urban agriculture businesses and occasionally, experimental theater.

 

**Unconfirmed,** but I'm hearing from a source who spotted Secret Service that it might be W.S. Jenks & Son. The ancient hardware store happens to house two urban farms! https://t.co/crMxiSU5yS https://t.co/SqtX4tbxiX

— Laura Hayes (@LauraHayesDC) March 9, 2021

Around noon, a small crowd gathered opposite of the store on Bladensburg Road, including Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie. “I’m excited to know that he’s coming to Ward 5,” McDuffie told me. “It’s a wise decision, to make one of those early-on stops here in Ward 5. Jenks is very important to this Bladensburg corridor.”

The new $1.9 trillion stimulus bill includes funds for state and local governments, as well as for public transit agencies. Additional funding for WMATA may prevent the cuts currently being proposed in Trinidad and across D.C. for 2022.

Around noon, the president’s destination was still officially a surprise. But the police cars around the block, as well as the large tent visible in the alley behind Jenks, made it seem like that was probably where he was going. Sure enough, around 12:15, traffic was cleared from Bladensburg Road and Secret Service agents fanned out. The presidential motorcade arrived and the limo known as “the beast” pulled behind the hardware store. Two vans released the press pool, which ran in through the front doors of the store.

WATCH: President Biden meets with a local Washington D.C. business, W.S. Jenks & Son, which received a PPP loan. https://t.co/QbtZMZtosd pic.twitter.com/7scKqZLvXu

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) March 9, 2021

The purpose of President Biden’s visit was to talk about businesses like Jenks, that had received a PPP loan. The new stimulus bill makes some changes to the program. According to McDuffie, Biden’s legislative agenda is urgently needed: “I think his agenda, thus far, has been exactly what the American people need, especially here in District of Columbia, where like most cities, we’ve been decimated by the coronavirus pandemic and our businesses are struggling to stay afloat. Our people, and our families, are struggling to make ends meet. So we really need that federal aid to support our efforts.”

President Biden visits W.S. Jenks & Son hardware store in NE DC, which received a PPP loan pic.twitter.com/zL1LJvvuax

— Jordan Fabian (@Jordanfabian) March 9, 2021

While I don’t think Trump visited ANC5D while in office, I’m not sure if Obama did, or if any other president has. Is Biden the first president to visit Trinidad? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter.

Photo by me. Regular monthly ANC coverage will be published soon, but not tomorrow.