President Obama makes whirlwind trip to Las Vegas

CREATED Oct. 24, 2011

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  • President Obama made an afternoon visit to Las Vegas on Monday, stopping by to give a speech outside of a home near Sahara and Hollywood. Video by ktnv.com

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  • Political analyst Elizabeth Crum discusses the president's visit to Las Vegas. Video by ktnv.com

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  • Republicans responded to Obama's speech in Las Vegas on Monday. Video by ktnv.com

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  • Footage of president Obama stepping off Air Force One in Las Vegas on Monday. Video by ktnv.com

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  • President kicks off tour with a stop in Las Vegas today. Video by ktnv.com

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LAS VEGAS -- President Obama made a whirlwind trip to Las Vegas on Monday afternoon, arriving on Air Force One at McCarran Airport and making a speech in front of a home focusing on the foreclosure crisis and his jobs plan.

Obama arrived in Las Vegas at about noon, greeted by mayor Carolyn Goodman on the tarmac.

The president's motorcade quickly whisked him off to make an appearance at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino for a fundraising event.

After that, Obama was taken to a home near Sahara and Hollywood to deliver a speech outlining a new component of his economic plan to improve the housing market and unemployment numbers.

Obama is offering mortgage relief to struggling homeowners in hard-hit Nevada and around the country -- saying he can't wait for an "increasingly dysfunctional Congress" to act.

LINK: Read the full speech here

Obama also laid out a theme for his re-election, saying that there's "no excuse for all the games and the gridlock that we've been seeing in Washington."

His new housing initiative would allow homeowners who are still current on their mortgage payments to refinance no matter how much their home value has dropped. It's a recognition that measures the administration has taken so far haven't done as much as had hoped on housing.

And Obama said that he'll be going around Congress to take executive action wherever possible, with Republican lawmakers prepared to block his initiatives.

After the speech, the president shook hands with supporters before heading back to McCarran Airport. He left on Air Force One at about 4 p.m. for his next stop, Los Angeles.