Biden Will Maintain International Trip Despite Default Risk

(AmericanProsperity.com) – U.S. National Security Spokesperson, John Kirby, said during a Monday press conference that President Joe Biden will maintain his trip to Japan, despite concerns circulating about whether he could cancel a week-long trip abroad due to the pressing need for Congress and the White House to reach an agreement to prevent a debt default.

Over the last few days, political analysts suggested President Biden would probably skip his trip to Japan, considering that his administration and the four congressional leaders haven’t been able to reach a deal. They pointed out that a refusal to skip this trip would be bad for his image, as he would be showing more importance for his international compromises rather than the country’s economic problem.

In the press conference, Kirby told reporters that President Biden is still “planning to leave as scheduled,” pointing out that the commander-in-chief is still expecting to make the trip to Japan. Moreover, he said that President Biden’s team is already planning to depart on Wednesday.

According to different reports, President Biden is expected to leave for the G-7 meeting in the Japanese city of Hiroshima from May 19th to May 21st. Following that meeting, the Democratic leader is expected to visit Papua New Guinea to then attend the summit of Quad Leaders in Sydney, Australia on May 24th.

When reporters asked Kirby whether President Biden would cut this trip short so he can return to the United States and attend to the local issues, Kirby said the commander-in-chief is planning to “conduct this trip as scheduled.” These comments came a couple of days after President Biden told reporters over the weekend that he plans to leave on Wednesday for Japan, and that he feels optimistic about the debt negotiations with the four congressional leaders.

House Speaker and California Republican Kevin McCarthy said on Monday morning that both parts need to reach an agreement by the weekend so that congressional lawmakers have enough time to properly pass it.