Joe Biden Attends Funeral Of Slain Minnesota Lawmaker

On Saturday, former president Joe Biden made a rare public appearance since leaving office.

Biden attended the funerals of slain lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman.

Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz accompanied Biden at the funeral.

CNN shared more details on the funeral:

On a warm, humid Saturday morning, grieving loved ones gathered at The Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis to honor Minnesota’s former House Speaker and her husband, whose shocking killings in an attack earlier this month stunned the nation.

The private funeral for Melissa and Mark Hortman was attended by leaders including former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, served as a pallbearer and delivered a eulogy.

“Melissa Hortman will be remembered as the most consequential speaker in Minnesota history. I get to remember (her) as a close friend, a mentor and the most talented legislator I’ve ever known,” Walz said.

Hortman, a Minnesota state representative with the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, and her husband were shot and killed on June 14 in what Walz called an apparent “politically motivated assassination.” Vance Boelter – the alleged gunman accused of killing the couple and seriously injuring another state lawmaker and his wife – was arrested following a 43-hour manhunt.

“It seems as if we are living in the dystopian reality,” Father Daniel Griffith, pastor of The Basilica of Saint Mary said during his remarks. “Here in Minnesota, we have been the Ground Zero place, sadly, for racial injustice … and now we are the Ground Zero place for political violence and extremism. But friends … this can be a Ground Zero place for restoration and justice and healing, but we must work together.”

Mark was described by his children as a hobbyist with a big smile and curious mind, who loved mountain biking, making furniture and telling cheesy dad jokes, Griffith said.

Walz remembered the Hortmans for their “kitchen filled with laughter,” where Melissa could be found mixing margaritas and baking cakes while her husband fed his sourdough starter as their golden retriever Gilbert waited for scraps of food.

Take a look:

Retard Biden Shows Up To Mark And Melissa Hortman's Funeral | What a Robot pic.twitter.com/h1g8yRXef4

— realDeeLo (@DeeLo1776) June 28, 2025

More footage and photos from the funeral:

Former US President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris joined thousands of mourners who filed through Minnesota's state Capitol Rotunda to pay final respects to slain lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark https://t.co/XoZtSTJTro pic.twitter.com/KbO87t6zFa

— Reuters (@Reuters) June 29, 2025

Funeral services for former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark are being held at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis. Former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris are among those in attendance. Follow live updates:… pic.twitter.com/q5pSyPTS0i

— The Minnesota Star Tribune (@StarTribune) June 28, 2025

The Guardian noted neither Biden nor Harris spoke at the funeral:

Neither Biden nor Harris spoke, but they sat in the front row with Walz. Biden was also one of more than 7,500 people who paid their respects on Friday as Hortman, her husband and their golden retriever, Gilbert, lay in state in the Minnesota capitol rotunda in St Paul. Gilbert was seriously wounded in the attack and had to be euthanized. Biden also visited the wounded senator in a hospital.

Dozens of current and former state legislators from both parties and other elected officials who worked with Hortman also attended.

As House speaker, Hortman helped pass an expansive agenda of liberal initiatives such as free lunches for public school students along with strengthened protections for abortion and trans rights during a momentous 2023 legislative session. With the House split 67-67 between Democrats and Republicans this year, she yielded the gavel to a Republican under a power-sharing deal, took the title speaker emerita and helped break a budget impasse that threatened to shut down state government.

Your thoughts?