About two months before his retirement, U.S. President Joe Biden attended his last international multilateral meeting, where an unusual situation occurred in which he did not participate in the group photo.
On the 18th (local time), at the G20 summit held at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the participating country leaders took a group photo on a stage printed with the words "Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty." The Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty is a key outcome of this year’s G20, proposed and realized by the Brazilian government.
President Yoon Suk-yeol, along with Brazilian President Luiz In?cio Lula da Silva, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and others, responded to the press’s request by holding hands or clapping, creating a warm and friendly atmosphere. This scene was also broadcast live on the official G20 YouTube channel. Afterwards, the leaders naturally engaged in conversation as they walked toward the conference hall.
However, the photo did not include President Biden, the current U.S. president, and some other leaders. As the leaders were dispersing, President Biden appeared late, walking out from the conference hall side. The camera filming the official G20 footage hurriedly turned toward President Biden, shaking significantly. For several seconds, the focus was off, and a sigh of surprise from someone was also broadcasted.
Considering the international stature of the United States, it is rare for a sitting president to miss a group photo session at an international event due to 'tardiness' rather than 'intent.' Local media G1 reported, "President Biden arrived late to the photo shoot and was excluded from the official photo," adding that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were also absent from the photo. USA Today stated, "World leaders moved on without Biden. Literally," and reported, "The outgoing U.S. president failed to take a photo with G20 leaders in Brazil because the summit organizers proceeded without him." The White House explained that the group photo was taken earlier than scheduled.
However, the White House press pool reported that this photo session was not the official photo shoot commemorating the G20 summit but rather a photo commemorating the hunger and poverty eradication meeting. President Biden, who will retire in January next year, was previously assigned a spot at the far end of the back row in the group photo at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit held in Peru, which drew some critical comments from certain U.S. media outlets, including Fox News, calling it an "awkward position." The White House explained that the seating arrangement was based on alphabetical order by country. Coincidentally, Chinese President Xi Jinping was seated in the center of the front row both then and this time.
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