First Lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden arrived in Haiti on the first lady's first official foreign trip — without her husband and children. They're taking a helicopter tour of Port-Au-Prince, where more than a million are homeless, living under tents and tarps.
The unannounced visit comes a day after Haiti marked the third month anniversary of the Jan. 12 earthquake that ripped through the capital and four smaller southern cities.
The trip was kept under wraps until the pair arrived. The White House released a statement: "First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden are visiting Haiti to underscore to the Haitian people and the Haitian government the enduring U.S. commitment to help Haiti recover and rebuild, especially as we enter the rainy and hurricane seasons, and to thank the women and men across the whole of the U.S. government for their extraordinary efforts in Haiti during the past three months. They will also reach out to the UN and international relief communities in recognition of the truly global effort underway to help Haiti."
The trip is ahead of Obama's three-day journey to Mexico City — a trip the Washington Post noted will be her first official foreign trip alone — "without the president and without her children. She will use it to amplify and articulate a singular message to young people: self-determination."
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