U.S. President Joe Biden will no longer travel to Italy this week as originally planned, the White House announced late Wednesday, canceling the trip in the final days of his presidency.
The trip was called off due to the ongoing wildfires raging in California.
“After returning this evening from Los Angeles, where earlier today he had met with police, fire and emergency personnel fighting the historic fires raging in the area and approved a Major Disaster declaration for California, President Biden made the decision to cancel his upcoming trip to Italy to remain focused on directing the full federal response in the days ahead,” said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in a statement.
On Thursday, Biden was scheduled to visit Rome, where he was expected to meet with Pope Francis, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Italian President Sergio Mattarella.
During the trip, Biden had planned to “discuss efforts to advance peace around the world, including Pope Francis’ work to alleviate suffering for vulnerable communities,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters during a virtual briefing on Wednesday, prior to the trip’s cancellation.
