US President Barack Obama got a blunt question from an unexpected quarter - a daring nine-year-old boy who asked, "Why do people hate you?"
The President was in New Orleans to reassure frustrated New Orleans residents of his commitment to their recovery on Thursday on his first presidential trip to a city still struggling to rebuild four years after Hurricane Katrina. (NYT Photo)
President Obama seemed in a feisty mood, fencing with critics back in Washington on health care and other issues. But he was tickled by his youngest critic's question.
Obama visited the Dr Martin Luther King Junior Charter School in New Orleans on Thursday, October 15, 2009. He spoke to directly to the students of the school which was flooded by eight feet of water during Hurricane Katrina and was the first one to be re-built. Here, a girl gazes up at him as he speaks to her. (NYT Photo)
Obama, caught up in a divisive political row over his plans for health care reform, called on the boy, Tyren Scott, in a public meeting during his first visit to hurricane-ravaged New Orleans as president. "I have to say, why do people hate you? They're supposed to love you. God is love," Tyren, from Paulina, Louisiana asked.
Obama answered laughing, "Hey, that's what I'm talking about," adding, "I did get elected president, so not everybody hates me now. I got a whole lot of votes.
The students of the school had been preparing for the President's visit since Tuesday. (NYT Photo)
Here, students Irma London, left, and Jai Phillips are seen putting final touches to posters made to welcome the President. (NYT Photo)
The President also visited the University of New Orleans during his visit. Some were unhappy with his plan to spend only a few hours in the city.
