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President Joe Biden canceled a trip to Italy where he was supposed to meet with Pope Francis and top government officials to remain in Washington, D.C., to monitor the disastrous wildfires in California, the White House said.
Biden was scheduled to leave for Italy for the three-day after he delivered the eulogy Thursday at a memorial service for President Jimmy Carter, his final overseas trip as president.
“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 spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said late Wednesday.
She did not say if the trip would be rescheduled, noting that additional details would follow.
Biden’s term ends Jan. 20.
He was to meet with the Pope at the Vatican and with Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome.
Biden was also scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The president was in California to dedicate two national monuments in the Eastern Coachella Valley Tuesday when dangerous high-winds forced the White House to scrub the ceremony.
Biden on Wednesday met with Gov. Gavin Newsom and received a briefing on the fires from local officials before heading back to D.C.
On the return trip aboard Air Force One, the president signed a federal major disaster declaration for Los Angeles County that makes federal funds available to the victims of the fires.
“Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster,” the declaration says.
Flames from the wind-whipped wildfires near Los Angeles have resulted in at least five deaths and scores of injuries.
The five blazes have burned tens of thousands of acres and destroyed structures and homes.
