Mapped: Biden's presidential travels
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President Biden plans to visit South America and sub-Saharan Africa for the first time as president in his final weeks in office. His overseas trips up to now have largely been limited to Europe, the Middle East and East Asia.
Why it matters: A president's travels reflect their priorities. Biden came into office pledging to reinvigorate NATO and strengthen U.S. alliances in Asia to counter China. His focus on the Middle East has been necessitated by circumstances, from rising oil prices to the war in Gaza.
Zoom in: Biden would be in Angola right now — belatedly fulfilling a promise to visit sub-Saharan Africa— if he hadn't delayed his trip to deal with the response to Hurricane Milton. The White House says it's working to reschedule.
- Biden is also expected to visit Peru next month for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference, followed by Brazil for the G20.
- He has only visited Latin America once as president; a 2023 trip to Mexico.
- Biden did host two summits in 2022 with leaders from across Africa and the Americas, but those leaders have surely noticed that he's made nine trips to Europe before visiting South America or sub-Saharan Africa.
The intrigue: Biden has not visited China, unlike his three immediate predecessors, though he did meet President Xi Jinping at APEC in 2023.
- He's also traveled less than former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush or Bill Clinton did in their first terms and has thus far visited the same number of countries (25) as former President Trump.
- Covid made travel more difficult early in Biden's presidency, and his age has also reportedly been a factor when planning international trips.
By the numbers: 18 of the 25 countries Biden has visited were among the 25 Trump visited. Both visited major U.S. allies like the U.K. and Japan, and key partners in Asia like India and Vietnam.
- Obama visited 35 countries during his first term, several of them more than once. Bush visited a whopping 41, and Clinton 33.
- Biden will have visited at least 28 if he makes the planned trips to Peru, Brazil and Angola.
