Biden postpones trip to Germany and Angola as Hurricane Milton threatens Florida

Biden postpones trip to Germany and Angola as Hurricane Milton threatens Florida

US President Joe Biden is postponing a planned trip to Germany and Angola and instead remaining in Washington, DC to monitor Hurricane Milton as it bears down on Florida.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the change was necessary “given the projected trajectory and strength” of the storm.

It was not clear if or when the trip might be rescheduled.

Biden had been expected to arrive in Berlin on Thursday evening for a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and had been scheduled to host a summit on the war in Ukraine at the US Ramstein airbase.

Biden had previously promised to go to Africa during his term in office, which ends in January.

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Hurricane Milton is a ferocious hurricane, and is now bearing down on Florida. Though it weakened slightly on Tuesday, it could still land a once-in-a-century direct hit on the populous Tampa Bay region, population 3.5 million.

There are serious concerns Milton could make projectiles of the debris from the recent Hurricane Helene, which killed well over 200 people when it hit the southeastern US only 12 days ago.

With the storm expected to remain strong as it passes Florida, parts of the eastern seaboard were put under hurricane warnings early on Tuesday.