Bloomberg asks Obama not to visit New York City
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg told residents at a Tuesday night briefing that he asked President Obama not to visit the storm-stricken city to view the devastation caused by Sandy.
"We'd love to have him, but we've got lots of things to do," Bloomberg said, adding that the president's planned trip to New Jersey Wednesday is "fine."
"It represents the whole region," he said. "People understand the storm and he doesn't have to...he's got a lot of things to do."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The mayor said he was "flattered" that Obama offered to visit, but "the thing for him to do is to go to New Jersey and represent the country."
The White House says Obama will join New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in viewing the damage and will thank first responders.
Obama said Tuesday at Red Cross headquarters that the storm "is not yet over." He said there are still risks of flooding and downed power lines and called the storm "heartbreaking for the nation."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A White House official told Fox News that Obama and Bloomberg agreed that this "would not be the right time to visit New York City.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.