Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry faces backlash for restaurant photo after deadly terror attack
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry is under scrutiny for posting a lighthearted photo of him outside a New Orleans restaurant hours after the deadly truck attack on New Year's Day.
The photo, posted Wednesday night, shows the governor with six others including his wife outside a steakhouse with Landry smiling while holding a thumbs up.
The post emphasized that New Orleans restaurants remain open following the attack that killed 14 people and injured dozens in the French Quarter neighborhood. The FBI has confirmed the attack was a premeditated "act of terrorism" by 42-year-old driver Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a Houston resident and U.S. citizen fatally shot by police at the scene.
"Ate dinner tonight in New Orleans. Proud to be a part of this incredibly resilient city. See everyone at the game tomorrow!" Landry wrote in the post published at 7:14 p.m. local time.
In a follow-up post at 8:44 p.m., Landry replied to add "It’s important to understand that we have many visitors in the city of New Orleans right now. Safety is our top priority and we want our guests and the world to know that Louisiana does not cower to radical islamic terrorists."
Critics call post distasteful, 'showboating'
The photo was seen more than 6 million times on X and received backlash online with some people calling the post distasteful. The governor's office did not immediately respond to a USA TODAY request for comment.
Critics have scolded Landry for not being sensitive to the lives lost and those injured in the terror attack.
Landry declares state of emergency after attack
Following the terrorist attack, Landry declared a state of emergency in New Orleans Wednesday afternoon making immediate access to state resources available in the city.
Landry said the state of emergency would ensure "every single person, place, and street across the city of New Orleans is the most safe and secure in the world."
“From day one, my commitment to the people of this state has been that we will not look the other way," Landry said. "We will not allow heinous acts of crime such as the one this morning to dampen the Louisiana spirit and ruin our way of life. This administration will not tolerate one of the jewel cities of the State to remain with these conditions."
Landry added officials continue to follow leads and investigate what happened adding "no one dumps a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle and puts it together in five seconds."
Officials also postponed the Sugar Bowl College Football Playoff game between Georgia and Notre Dame initially scheduled for Wednesday to Thursday.
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Contributing: Greg Hilburn, Shreveport Times
This story was updated to add new information.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Louisiana Governor bashed for cheerful social post after terror attack