White House on Joe Biden’s decision to skip Charles’ coronation: ‘Not a…'
King Charles Coronation: “They had a very friendly conversation. They have a good relationship,” the press secretary said.
The White House defended US President Joe Biden’s decision not to attend the King Charles III's coronation next month after it was announced that US First Lady Jill Biden would be attending “on behalf of the United States”.
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When White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked about Joe Biden's absence from the ceremony and whether it would be understood as a “snub”, she reiterated that Joe Biden talked to the British monarch on call for 25 to 30 minutes during which the US president “congratulated the King” ahead of the coronation.
“They had a very friendly conversation. They have a good relationship,” the press secretary said adding that Joe Biden also talked about how much he and the first lady enjoyed visiting Queen Elizabeth II in 2021.
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The monarch invited Joe Biden to come for an official state visit, “which the president accepted”, she informed, however the “timeline” was not set.
“So they will see each other again very soon, so I’ll leave it there. But again, they have a very good relationship, there are many, key things that they both care about, key values and shared issues that they want to continue to discuss, like climate change, and that conversation will continue,” the press secretary said.
“And there will be a visit in the near future," she added.
On whether “British people might see it as a snub”, she said, “Not at all. Again, the president has a good relationship with the King, they had a friendly conversation, and I will leave it at that. It is not a snub.”
