Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Year : 2, Issue: 12
NBC News: There was no photo finish for President Joe Biden.
The outgoing American leader arrived for a family picture with world leaders during his final Group of 20 summit Monday, only to find the photo had already been taken without him.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer were among those who did make it, smiling and raising linked hands for the traditional summit set piece.
A senior U.S. official attributed the mix-up in Rio de Janeiro to logistical challenges.
“Due to logistical issues, they took the family photo early before all the leaders had arrived. So a number of leaders weren’t actually there when they took the photo,” said the senior official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Biden was nowhere to be found until just after the photo was taken, when photographers and reporters began searching frantically for him.
When asked whether Biden intentionally skipped the photo to avoid standing near Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the official dismissed the idea, stating, “It was just simply logistical issues.”
During the first session of the summit Sunday, Biden reflected on his impending departure from the White House.
“As you know, this is my last G20 summit. We’ve made progress together, but I urge you to keep going — and I’m sure you will, regardless of my urging or not,” he told fellow leaders.
On Monday, a senior aide acknowledged that many nations were already anticipating the very different global leadership of President-elect Donald Trump, but emphasized that Biden remains fully in charge.
On Sunday, Biden himself acknowledged the limited time left in office.
“It’s no secret that I’m leaving office in January,” he said.
The G20 summit involves the heads of state or government of 19 member countries and two regional bodies: the African Union and the European Union.
The member countries represent around 85% of the world’s gross domestic product, more than 75% of world trade and around two-thirds of the world’s population, according to the forum.
