After days of security measures by an advance team, and planes seen flying over campus, President Biden’s motorcade drove down Saint Mary’s Road at 2:54 p.m. before passing the Grotto and pulling into the garage underneath Corby Hall. The Bidens likely entered the Basilica through Corby Hall as they were not seen entering or exiting any of the other doors of the Basilica.
The wedding was between Julia Reed and John Scanlon, both personal friends of the president and first lady, according to a White House pool report by Wall Street Journal reporter Catherine Lucey. Reed is a special assistant to the president and deputy director of Oval Office communications, and the daughter of longtime Biden aide Bruce Reed. Scanlon works in the first lady's office.
According to the president’s publicly released schedule, he and the first lady departed Joint Base Andrews for South Bend at 12:55 p.m. and departed from South Bend at 5:25 p.m.
Students lined the sidewalks of Holy Cross Drive and Corby Drive during the Bidens’ arrival and departure. Onlookers were originally allowed near the road but police and secret service personnel pushed the perimeter line back roughly 20 yards onto Bond Quad before Biden’s departure.
“It was cool because this is a rare occasion and it was also funny,” Olivia Murrin, a junior at Notre Dame said.
As the president’s motorcade arrived at Corby Hall two onlookers were seen holding a Trump flag, adding a political element to the event.
Traffic on and around campus was also limited during Biden's brief visit. Traffic was closed from Douglas Rd, onto SR 933 and on Holy Cross Drive between the road’s intersections with Dorr Rd. and St. Joseph Rd. Pedestrians, other than residents of Sorin College, were prohibited from the area around the Basilica during the duration of Biden’s visit.
Residents of Sorin College were not permitted to access the building from the rear side entrance that faces towards Bond Hall between noon and 4pm. There were people placed on the front porch of the building to direct people. The president's arrival also caused the dorm's signature event, Otterfest, to be pushed back to a later date.
The Bidens left Corby Hall at 4:04 p.m. The first lady could be seen waving out of the window at onlookers.
“It was a very surreal moment. I kept thinking to myself, ‘Wow, that’s the president,’” Peyton Honchar, a freshman at Notre Dame, said about the president and the first lady exiting campus.
