President Joe Biden will meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as his first official event in India on an expanded schedule released by the White House late Wednesday, after Biden tested negative again for COVID-19.
During the trip, Biden will meet with the heads of major industrial nations in New Delhi, although his only event on Friday after a long-haul flight will be his meeting with Modi.
The trip comes a day after Biden laughed off the covid mask guidance at a White House labor event on Wednesday and entered the event without his black mask.
“I was tested again today, I am clear across the board. But they keep telling me to keep wearing it because this has to last ten days or something,” he joked.
“There is no change,” the White House said when asked if Biden’s trip to India and Vietnam is still going ahead. Biden tested negative for COVID-19 on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, the White House said. It was unclear whether he would take another test before his scheduled departure on Thursday
“But don’t tell them I didn’t have it on when I came in, okay?”
That came a day after he was criticized for leaving a Medal of Honor ceremony, once again unmasked, while Vietnam War hero Larry Taylor remained on stage. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said this had happened as planned.
She also brushed off questions about masking guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control, which state that those exposed to the virus must mask for 10 days. First lady Jill Biden tested positive for COVID on Monday and is “doing well,” Jean-Pierre said.
Biden will leave DC Thursday afternoon, though Jean-Pierre was indirect when asked about Biden’s future testing regimen.
“I don’t have a timeline on his test — on his test cadence,” she said.
She said the White House had been “quite transparent,” adding, “We shared that on Monday. Tuesday we shared. And we certainly shared that today.’
“But we have been very clear: all travelers going to India will be tested, including the president. As I said, the president was tested today and tested negative, which is a good thing. We’re glad to hear that.’
From left to right, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese Premier Li Qiang and US Vice President Kamala Harris walk to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Jakarta. , Indonesia, Thursday, September 7, 2023. Biden meets Modi Friday as his first event at the G20 summit
Vice President Kamala Harris arrives for the gala dinner at the 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Jakarta. Biden is expected to attend a dinner at the G20 summit in New Delhi
President Joe Biden holds up a face mask during a speech at the White House. It was not clear if he would mask himself during his meeting with G20 leaders
When asked if Biden’s journey continued, Jean-Pierre replied, “There is no change.”
According to the “expanded” schedule released by the White House, Biden will participate in an official arrival and handshake with Modi on Saturday, then attend “One Earth” and “One Family” sessions, along with an infrastructure event.
According to the schedule, he will participate in a “dinner and cultural program with G20 leaders” – although he skipped this last year at the summit in Bali, Indonesia.
On Sunday, he and other G20 leaders will visit the Raj Ghat Memorial to Gandhi and other historical figures. He will then go to Hanoi, where he will hold a press conference and meet with General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng of the Communist Party of Vietnam.
With Biden at risk of contracting covid, the White House was asked this week if Vice President Kamala Harris could take his place.
She is completing her final events at the ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, with plans to depart Thursday with a stopover in Anchorage, Alaska.
Harris did attend the cultural evening program at her event.
There was a red carpet at Wednesday’s dinner, although such events have a diplomatic function. “On the sidelines of the gala dinner,” according to a White House official, Harris met with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan, where he discussed maritime issues and other matters.
Neither Chinese President Xi Jinping nor Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the G20, though an India-China rivalry and Russia’s war on Ukraine will be the underlying topics.
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