What are Democrats thinking?
President Joe Biden chose not to attend a dinner with his NATO counterparts in Vilnius, Lithuania, due to his busy schedule abroad, according to United States officials.
According to Washington Examiner, a U.S. official informed reporters on Tuesday that President Biden would not be present at the dinner with NATO leaders. The official explained that the president had a packed itinerary, with four full days of official business, preparations for an important speech the next day, and another day dedicated to the summit.
From the beginning, the dinner was not included in President Biden’s schedule. Instead, Secretary of State Antony Blinken was planned to represent him at the event.
President Biden’s schedule, given his age of 80, often attracts attention. The New York Times reported last month that some officials privately acknowledge making reasonable adjustments to avoid overburdening the aging president physically. Most of his public appearances are scheduled between noon and 4 p.m., and he is given as much downtime as possible on weekends.
During the day, President Biden participated in NATO ceremonial activities, the heads of state and government meeting, as well as held bilateral meetings with President Gitanas Nauseda of Lithuania and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey.
On Wednesday, he has additional NATO meetings, including the NATO-Ukraine Council, and is expected to deliver a speech before traveling to Helsinki, Finland, for the U.S.-Nordic Leaders Summit and its associated engagements.
President Biden’s meeting with Erdogan took place one day after the Turkish president expressed support for Sweden’s NATO membership, ending a year-long opposition to the idea.
“Now you are preparing for the upcoming elections,” Erdogan told Biden. “With these forthcoming elections, I would also like to take this opportunity to wish you the best of luck.”
“We look forward to meeting with you over the next five years,” Biden replied.