President Biden raised eyebrows on Tuesday when he skipped the NATO leadership summit’s opening dinner in Lithuania’s capital, with White House staff citing a — relatively — action-packed schedule for the 80-year-old commander-in-chief.
Asked why the president gave the meal a miss, a US official said that Biden “has four full days of official business and is preparing for a big speech tomorrow in addition to another day at the summit.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken took Biden’s place at the dinner, which brings together heads of state and government from all 31 NATO member countries.
It was not immediately clear whether the American president was the only leader to miss the event, which was also attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The snub comes after Biden spent Saturday relaxing on the beach near his vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Del., which some critics were quick to point out Tuesday evening.
“Biden, literally *3* days ago:” tweeted Abigail Marone, communications director for Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) alongside a picture of the sunbathing Biden.
“He almost worked a whole standard work week. He needs a break!” snarked Shashank Tripathi, aka conservative podcaster Comfortably Smug.
“The NATO leaders dinner is one of those protocol-heavy diplomatic niceties that isn’t particularly important, unless you’re a no show, in which case your absence is important,” tweeted Foreign Policy magazine reporter Robbie Gramer.
Biden’s schedule has been a matter of public speculation due to his advanced age. In late April, Axios reported that many of his events take place between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., with most weekends completely free of major activity.
During the day Tuesday, the president met with the presidents of Lithuania and Turkey, the secretary general of NATO and attended the first day of the NATO meeting.
On Wednesday, he is due to meet with Zelensky after attending the second day of the summit, before making remarks at Vilnius University and traveling on to Helsinki.
While visiting Windsor Castle Monday, Biden caused more speculation about his fitness when he appeared to steady himself on King Charles III shortly after arriving.
Video of the encounter shows Biden placing his hand on the 74-year-old Charles’s right arm while the two shook hands, causing the king to glance down in apparent surprise.
Biden then put his hand on Charles’ back as they walked toward a stage to conduct a troop review. The president’s gait was noticeably stiff, something his physician noted in a February report had worsened since he broke his foot in late 2020.
Touching the British royals is against traditional protocol, but the king was apparently “entirely comfortable” with Biden’s actions, as a Buckingham Palace source told People it was “a wonderful symbol of warmth and affection … between both the individuals and their nations.”
