WASHINGTON — Although President Joe Biden’s primary residence will still be the White House for several months, he plans to host world leaders this weekend in another home: his home in Wilmington, Del.
Biden will hold bilateral meetings there with the leaders of Australia, India and Japan for the final “Quad” summit, which he decided to promote in his first year in office. He will hold those meetings at his home in Delaware, NBC News first reported.
According to a senior White House official, the president specifically wanted to add a “personal touch” to the two-day event, stressing that “deep personal relationships” are central to his foreign policy approach.
During both group discussions and one-on-one conversations this weekend, Biden will likely proudly show off his home, known to his aides as the “Lake House” because of the man-made lake on its grounds. He looks forward to sharing with them the milestones marked there during his career, including where he learned he was elected president four years ago.
To conclude his work and emphasize this philosophy, Biden invited the leaders to an “intimate” dinner Saturday at his high school, Archmere Academy, which holds special significance for the president.
Biden recalled that he weeded Archmere’s gardens, cleaned its windows and painted the iron fence surrounding it as part of a work-study program to pay for the private school. But she wrote in her 2008 memoir that her proudest accomplishments include public speaking, having worked hard to overcome a childhood stammer.
The meeting will mark the first time as president that Biden has asked a foreign leader to visit Wilmington, a reflection of his closeness with each dignitary: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
“These are personal relationships that mean a lot to him. He believes that personal relationships are important for foreign policy,” White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said in an interview.
After bringing the leaders of the G7 alliance to his hometown of Hiroshima in 2023, Biden discussed holding the summit in his hometown for the first time.
“The prime minister is rightly proud of Hiroshima and his experiences there. And that resonated with the president because he feels the same way about Wilmington,” Kirby said.
With this country summit, the White House hopes to forge a strong alliance with its Indo-Pacific partners, particularly as countering China’s growing influence is a top priority for the Biden administration.
The Quartet has been an important component of THAT, and leaders are expected to announce ways to ensure the alliance is “sustainable” for the long term.
Officials are also looking forward to possible agreements on health safety, disaster response and maritime partnership in the South China Sea.
It will be the sixth time they’ve all met since Biden elevated the Quad to leadership in 2021 — the fourth time they’ll face each other.
Biden has also taken each prime minister to the White House for an official state visit, an honor reserved for closest allies. It will be the final summit for both Kishida and Biden, with the Japanese leader announcing earlier this year that he will step down as party leader.
Originally it was India’s turn to host the event this year, but when the dates seemed too close to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the US and India decided to switch responsibilities.
India is now scheduled to host the next summit in 2025, raising the prospect of a significant symbolic return for Vice President Kamala Harris, whose mother emigrated from India, if elected in November.
Starting next month, Biden hopes to cement part of his foreign policy legacy with his final foreign trips of his time in office.
Although the timing is still being determined, Biden is expected to travel to Africa, a trip he had previously indicated would take place in 2023. Asked last week if he would go to Angola, a country no American president has ever visited, he replied. journalists thumb.
In November, Biden plans to attend the final meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in Peru and the G20 summit in Brazil, a few days after the US presidential election.