Joe Biden cancels trip to Italy, meant as final foreign visit of presidency, as fires rage in California

U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden disembark from Marine One as he returns to the White House in Washington, on January 8, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

President Joe Biden on Wednesday (January 8, 2025) cancelled the final overseas trip of his presidency just hours before he was set to depart for Rome and the Vatican, choosing to remain in Washington to monitor the response to devastating fires raging in California.

Mr. Biden was scheduled to leave Thursday (January 9, 2025) afternoon, after eulogizing former President Jimmy Carter at a memorial service in Washington, for the three-day trip to meet with Pope Francis and Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The trip was meant as a coda to the second Catholic U.S. president’s time in the White House and a final opportunity to showcase the strength of American alliances before he leaves office on Jan. 20.

A firefighting helicopter drops water as the Sunset Fire burns in the Hollywood Hills with evacuations ordered in Los Angeles, California on January 8, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
Getty Images via AFP

The announcement of the trip’s cancellation comes just hours after Mr. Biden departed Los Angeles after meeting his first great-grandchild, who was born Wednesday at an area hospital. He received a briefing from local fire officials before returning to Washington, as smoke and ash from blazes raging in the area clouded the daytime sky.

“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,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

The large Palisades fire sparked Tuesday morning as Mr. Biden was in Los Angeles, and the high winds that helped fuel its massive spread forced the president to scrub a planned visit to Thermal to announce two new national monuments.

Firefighters battle the Palisades Fire as it burns during a windstorm on the west side of Los Angeles, California, on January 8, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
Reuters

While flying back to Washington on Wednesday, Mr. Biden approved a federal major disaster declaration for Los Angeles County, allowing for federal funding to be made available for temporary housing and home repairs as well as low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses. It also provides additional financial assistance to state and local governments to cover the costs of fighting and cleaning up after the fires.