President Joe Biden said Thursday that he was seriously considering a visit to Africa, joking that poor relatives always accepted invitations.
“I’m eager to visit your continent,” Biden said, during an appearance at the Africa leaders summit recalling that he had received some invitations from the leaders of African countries to visit.
“Be careful what you wish for because I may show up,” Biden joked, explaining that only the poor accepted all of the invitations.
“The poor relatives always show up. The wealthy ones never do,” he continued. “The poor come and they eat your food, stay longer than they should.”
President Joe Biden shakes hands with Senegal’s President Macky Sall, chair of the African Union, as he arrives to participate in the U.S.-Africa Summit Leaders Session on partnering on the African Union’s Agenda 2063, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Biden appeared trying to identify himself and the United States with the “poor” countries, but instead made the joke awkward, as many African countries are not as advanced economically as the United States.
More than 40 African heads of state traveled to meet with Biden in Washington, D.C., to develop economic ties with the United States.
During the summit, Biden pledged eight billion in private and public funding to help South Africa replace coal-fired power plants with green energy installations as part of an international effort by the G7 nations to mobilize $600 billion for Africa in the next five years.
“When Africa succeeds, the United States succeeds; quite frankly, the whole world succeeds as well,” he said on Wednesday.