President Biden Cancels Final Trip to Italy and Vatican to Focus on Los Angeles Wildfires

Jan 9, 2025, 03:27 AM

President Joe Biden has canceled his upcoming trip to Italy, including planned visits to Rome and the Vatican City to meet with Pope Francis, to focus on the federal response to devastating wildfires in California. The decision comes as fires, notably the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, rage in and around Los Angeles, fueled by powerful windstorms. Mandatory evacuations have been ordered in affected areas. Earlier, Biden had also canceled a visit to Thermal, California, due to severe weather conditions exacerbating the fires. The White House stated that the President wishes to remain in Washington, D.C., to direct the federal response to the California wildfires. This was to be Biden's final foreign trip of his presidency.