NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- Before a cheering crowd at a town hall meeting in New Orleans, President Obama fired back at critics who accuse him of accomplishing little in his nine months in office, saying "I'm just getting started." President Obama speaks at a town hall meeting at the University of New Orleans on Thursday. "I never thought any of this was going to be easy," said Obama, speaking at the University of New Orleans in his first visit to the Gulf Coast city since taking office. He poked fun at his critics, asking, "Why haven't you solved world hunger yet? It's been nine months. Why?"
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NEW: "I never thought any of this was going to be easy," he says at university
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President not visiting other Gulf Coast areas damaged by Katrina in 2005
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Some local Republicans have decried Obama's visit as too short
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But White House cites other visits by him, senior officials since storm
Obama said that when he took office, he pledged to make @placeholder rebuilding efforts and disaster response top priorities of his administration.