President Joe Biden has 62 days left in his term, but it looks as if he's already checked out. The U.S. commander-in-chief skipped the traditional gathering of world leaders on Monday at the Group of 20 (G20) summit, the final meeting of the president's term, but officials said he no-showed for a group photo simply because of the timing. As a result, he was nowhere to be seen.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, 81, strolled in to take his place after his official photo was taken, chatting with other world leaders as they smiled and warmly held hands for a photo. The Associated Press reported. report.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders attending the 19th G20 Summit pose for a group photo in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 18, 2024. President Xi attended the G20 summit on Monday. (Li Xueren/Xinhua via Getty Images)
The timing left Chinese President Xi Jinping front and center in a line of leaders posing against the backdrop of Rio de Janeiro's blue skies and blue sea. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was in the back row, albeit less conspicuously.
The Associated Press says:
A senior Biden administration official, who was not authorized to comment publicly, said he and other leaders missed the photo due to “logistical issues.”
Mr. Biden was also scheduled to appear in the photo, but he was moved ahead of schedule.
Mr. Biden and Mr. Trudeau arrived together at the designated photo location and stood for a moment looking around before realizing they had missed their chance.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also did not take part in the traditional set-piece photo, with the three then huddled together in front of the camera.
A few days ago, Biden attracted attention by showing: Wandering After giving a speech on climate change in Brazil at the COP29 summit, he went into the Amazon rainforest alone.
U.S. President Joe Biden looks on after realizing he was absent from a commemorative group photo event as part of the 2024 G20 Summit to be held at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 18, 2024. (Buda Mendez/Getty Images)
President Joe Biden wanders alone through the rainforest after touring the Amazon Museum and giving a speech on Sunday, November 17, 2024, in Manaus, Brazil. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Senator)
of guardian report U.S. officials said they wanted to avoid Biden appearing alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in a bid to avoid Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's launch of the Alliance to Curb World Hunger. He denied taking the photo.
President Vladimir Putin was conspicuously absent from the Rio summit. His arrest is being sought by the International Criminal Court over the Ukraine war.
