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President Biden, 81, was positioned in the back corner of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference’s leadership photo in Peru, while Chinese President Xi Jinping stood prominently beside host President Dina Boluarte.
The optics highlighted Biden’s diminished influence ahead of his meeting with Xi, who has received significant attention at the event, partly due to China’s investment in a major Peruvian port. Arriving last for the photo, Biden took his assigned spot between the leaders of Thailand and Vietnam, reinforcing perceptions of his waning domestic and international relevance.
In APEC photos, world leaders are typically arranged alphabetically by country, though placements can vary. For example, then-President Donald Trump took a central position at the 2017 summit in Vietnam. Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) told The Post that Biden’s back-row placement signals a lack of respect from global leaders, adding, “They don’t take Biden seriously anymore.”
“They probably should have invited President-elect Trump down — I’m sure he would’ve been in the center of the photo with Xi Jinping,” she added. “I don’t think these international players take Biden seriously anymore ever since [Rep.] Nancy Pelosi threw him out.”
Biden made other world leaders wait more than five minutes to take the group photo at the APEC Summit in Peru — then stuck him in the back corner when he finally showed up.
Xi Jinping was front and center. pic.twitter.com/yxb713aRxN
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 16, 2024
Lame-duck Biden humiliated with back-corner spot in APEC family photo as China’s Xi get place of honor in front row pic.twitter.com/a5VTMioyrs
— New York Post (@nypost) November 16, 2024
The APEC photo featured leaders like Xi Jinping, President Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, and Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk. Front-row placements included Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Leaders donned brown scarves, part of the summit tradition of wearing host country attire, echoing the 2016 Peru summit where vicuña wool shawls were showcased. President-elect Trump, known for his assertive “America First” stance, famously avoided symbolic snubs, even once representing the front of a group of leaders to secure prominence in press photos.
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