NEW YORK — President Joe Biden plans to travel to New York City in September to speak at the U.N. General Assembly, the New York Daily News learned Thursday.
The president will arrive in the city on Sunday, Sept. 18. He’ll attend the 77th annual gathering of world leaders for the second time as president the following two days, the White House said in a statement released to the News.
There were no additional details of the trip, such as when Biden will address the lofty confab of presidents, kings, prime ministers and dictators.
Biden won’t have to worry about bumping into Russian President Vladimir Putin in a hallway in between diplomatic engagements.
Russia has already said that its strongman leader will skip the event, which is likely to feature condemnation of its invasion of neighboring Ukraine.
It was also not known if Biden may take the opportunity to mix in some midterm electioneering of Democratic fundraising while in deep-blue Gotham.
One thing’s for sure: New Yorkers can brace for traffic to be even worse than usual on the days Biden is in town.
Extra presidential security will close even more streets than usual on the East Side, where residents and commuters dread the annual traffic-choking influx of diplomatic convoys.
Last year, Biden called for global unity in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change in his inaugural address to the world body.
He also defended the chaotic U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan that was completed just weeks earlier.
“Simply put, we stand … at an inflection point in history,” Biden said. “We must work together as never before.”
Biden told world leaders that the U.S. and its allies would “help lead the world toward a more peaceful, prosperous future for all people.”
