Washington (TDI): US President Joe Biden has cancelled his travel plan to Italy that was scheduled this week due to wildfires across the Los Angeles area and the resulting situation.
White House on Wednesday said that the trip was cancelled as the president wanted to focus on directing the full federal response to the fires.
“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,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
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The White House announced in December that Biden would visit Italy from Jan. 9-12 to meet Pope Francis, Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Biden Visit
This visit that the US president had scheduled in the final days of his tenure was considered as an important one.
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According to media reports, the raging wildfires surrounding Los Angeles spread to the Hollywood Hills on Wednesday, after five other fires in the area killed at least five people, destroyed hundreds of homes and stretched firefighting resources and water supplies to the limit.
