President Biden to speak twice at Summit of Americas Thursday
As the Summit of the Americas continues in Downtown Los Angeles, expected to run through Saturday, President Joe Biden is set to deliver a pair of separate speeches at Thursday's events.
This is the ninth such event, and the second to take place in the United States. At the formal beginning of the event on Wednesday, Western Hemisphere world leaders gathered to promote a "prosperous and inclusive future" between their represented countries.
"At this summit, we have an opportunity for us to come together around some bold ideas, ambitious actions, and to demonstrate to our people the incredible power of democracies to deliver concrete benefits and make life better for everyone," Biden said during a speech Wednesday.
Five formal documents are planned for release during the summit, "reflecting an ambitious hemispheric consensus on everything from support for civil society to promoting digital connectivity."
Additionally, he'll meet with both Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in bilateral meetings to discuss varying topics before he joins Vice President Kamala Harris in a meeting with leaders of Caribbean nations.
Mr. Biden will speak at the CEO Summit of the Americas and the opening plenary of the Summit of the Americas.
According to the White House, Presidents Biden and Bolsonaro are meeting to discuss the importance of the relationship between the two countries, and working to combat the ongoing climate crisis and recovery from COVID-19, while Trudeau and Biden will touch on a variety of topics including the strengthening of their nation's cooperation on issues like economic development and migration.
The meeting with Harris and Caribbean nation leaders will work to deepen their partnership, as Harris proposes a new approach to addressing the climate crisis.
Later Thursday, Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will host dinner at The Getty Villa in the Pacific Palisades, with the heads of states, governors and their spouses in attendance. The event will cause a lengthy traffic restriction for five miles of Pacific Coast Highway through Malibu from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The Summit of Americas informally began earlier in the week as world leaders began to arrive in Downtown Los Angeles. However, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador declined to show up based on Biden's exclusion of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.
Still, a team of delegates was sent by the Mexican President to be in attendance at the events.
Biden arrived Wednesday, and was greeted by California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti before speaking.
As a result, protests have been held around downtown over recent days and in front of the Los Angeles Convention Center, denouncing the president's decision to exclude the countries.
Other protestors have also gathered to fight for women's rights, in the wake of the recent leak out of the Supreme Court that indicates justices may overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.
Some climate activists converged on the Seventh Street overpass of the 110 Freeway to call out the Biden administration's reliance on fossil fuels, by dropping a banner as his motorcade drove by.
On Wednesday, as a presidential motorcade drove through the area of Figueroa and 11th Streets, a female protestor ran into the street with a megaphone, before she was pulled out of the road and tackled by Secret Service members. The woman claimed that she was protesting for women's rights.
Newsom and Garcetti both spoke during Wednesday's opening ceremony as well.
The Governor welcomed attendees in a speech where he said, "You are in one of the most diverse cities -- Los Angeles, in the most diverse region, in the most diverse state -- California, in the world's most diverse democracy. And we're proud of that. We don't 'tolerate' diversity, we celebrate it."
Garcetti echoed that message in his own welcoming speech, referring to his hometown as a "city of belonging, built by dreamers and doers from every corner of the hemisphere."
Newsom was also expected to meet with Trudeau Thursday to discuss climate issues.
Come Friday, the world leaders will sign the "Los Angeles Declaration on Migration" a pact between the nations to pursue an "comprehensive approach" to addressing the migration crisis, as detailed by a senior administration official.
As expected, road closures aplenty have filled the streets of Downtown Los Angeles as the prominent political figures continue to operate in the area. Angelenos have had their daily commutes and traffic heavily impacted due to the road closures and planned motorcades.
