President Biden stood awkwardly in the back corner of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) family photo on Saturday, while prominent world leaders took prominent positions in the front row.
Chinese President Xi Jinping stood front and center in the photo, flanked by Peruvian President Dina Boluarte, who hosted the summit in Lima. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stood to Xi’s right, along with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Meanwhile, Biden was pictured in the back row, smiling and chatting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra as the group photo was taken. Over the weekend, Biden held closed-door meetings with several leaders, including Boluarte and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
The placement of Biden, who is set to leave office in January, marked a departure from the typical positioning of U.S. presidents. In last year’s APEC family photo in San Francisco, Biden stood at the center, with Trudeau and Xi on either side. In 2017, then-President Trump was also prominently positioned near the front alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin.
This year’s conference occurred just two weeks after the 2024 presidential election, in which Vice President Kamala Harris was defeated in a surprise upset by former President Trump. Earlier this week, Biden met with Trump to discuss the transition of power.
“I look forward… to having a smooth transition. We’ll do everything we can to make sure you’re accommodated, what you need,” Biden assured Trump during their meeting.
Trump responded, “I appreciate very much the transition that’s so smooth. It will be as smooth as it can get, and I very much appreciate that.”
