Tuesday 28 June 2022 10:18 AM Joe Biden wraps up G7 summit early, abandoning plans for a speech as ... trends now
President Joe Biden left the G7 early on Tuesday to avoid approaching thunderstorms, appearing only briefly in front of reporters for a couple of photo opportunities and abandoning a planned speech.
The White House blamed 'weather' for the early exit.
It meant he hit the road at 10:58am en route to Munich airport and the chance to reunite with the first lady, who is already in Madrid, where Biden is due to attend a NATO summit.
And it capped a low-key performance by Biden, where he appeared content to let other leaders - particularly the United Kingdom's Boris Johnson - do most of the talking.
So on Tuesday morning, as he met other leaders, rather than answer a shouted question about how to get grain out of blockaded Ukraine he turned to his peers and said he had not heard the question.
Johnson responded instead: 'We're working on it.'
Like other leaders, Biden arrived at the summit hoping to escape his own thunderstorms at home.
President Joe Biden headed for the exit early on Tuesday morning, the first leader to leave the G7 summit at Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps. He ditched a planned speech as the White House blamed 'weather' for his departure for Madrid, where he will attend a NATO summit
President Joe Biden arrived for a meeting with G7 leaders on Tuesday morning
Biden ignored a shouted question on getting grain out of Ukraine and Britain's Boris Johnson answered instead. 'We're working on it,' he said
The summit at Schloss Emlau - a resort set amid the majesty of the Bavarian Alps - was a chance to reaffirm his promise that 'America was back' after the Trump years, and escape a string of crises at home - from spiraling inflation and a string of mass shootings to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to end protections for abortion.
But he could not escape the abortion ruling, with several G7 leaders speaking out about the Supreme Court decision on the eve of the summit.
'Abortion is a fundamental right for all women,' tweeted French President Emmanuel Macron.
'It must be protected. I wish to express my solidarity with the women whose liberties are being undermined by the Supreme Court of the United States.'
And Biden has rarely looked liked the world's most powerful man. While other leaders such as Johnson and Canada's Justin Trudeau horsed around during photo calls, Biden has stayed on the sidelines.
And while other world leaders had conducted interviews - Johnson appearing on both CNN and the BBC - Biden has himself to one set of prepared remarks on and occasional brief answers to shouted questions.
On Sunday, he was asked whether the Roe v. Wade decision had come up in meetings.
'...not related to Ukraine or any of the issues we discussed,' he said.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine dominated the summit in Germany, and is expected to feature prominently at the NATO summit in Madrid.
On Tuesday,
