Biden has so far stuck to his visit to Germany despite the hurricane

In view of the approaching Hurricane Milton, the White House made an evasive statement when asked whether US President Joe Biden was considering postponing his trip to Germany. “The president is following this very, very closely,” Biden’s spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters regarding the storm. “I have nothing to report about any change in his travel or schedule. If this were the case, we would of course inform you about it.”

When asked again whether Biden was considering canceling the trip, Jean-Pierre did not give a clear answer – but emphasized that Biden was looking forward to the trips to Germany and Angola. “You all know that you will be the first to know (…) if something changes.”

Biden wants to leave for Germany in a few days

The trip to Germany was a “strong symbol,” Jean-Pierre continued. The visit will underline transatlantic security and resolute support for Ukraine. Biden wants to land in Germany late Thursday evening. Meetings with Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) are planned in Berlin. Biden wants to travel to Rhineland-Palatinate on Saturday. A Ukraine summit is scheduled to take place at the US air force base in Ramstein, to which the US President is inviting people. The 81-year-old then wants to travel on to Angola.

“Milton” has gained strength off the west coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico and is now a Category 5 hurricane with sustained wind speeds of up to almost 260 kilometers per hour. Meteorologists expect the storm to hit Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane with wind speeds of around 200 kilometers per hour.

Criticism of Biden after storm “Helene”

Around a week and a half ago, storm “Helene” made landfall in northwest Florida as a second-highest category hurricane. It then weakened, but caused severe flooding and destruction as it moved north. Well over 200 people in six states were killed.

Biden then came under pressure. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump traveled to the disaster area and accused Biden of not doing enough. Biden and his deputy Kamala Harris, who is running for the Democrats against Trump in the presidential election on November 5th, then traveled several times to the devastated region in the southeast of the USA. Around a year and a half ago, Biden canceled a planned trip to Papua New Guinea and Australia because of the debt dispute in the US Congress.