Too much on the plate? Biden ditches NATO summit dinner over heavy workload

US President Joe Biden seems to be a busy bee in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, willing to snub a high-profile dinner to prep for his big speech the next day. On Tuesday, the 80-year-old did exactly that and did not attend a dinner with world leaders at the ongoing NATO summit.

American officials cited a rather jam-packed schedule, stating that Biden “has four full days of official business and is preparing for a big speech tomorrow in addition to another day at the summit," the New York Post reported. Filling in for the commander-in-chief was Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who joined heads of states from NATO's member countries for a meal.

Nonetheless, the POTUS' absence raised a few eyebrows. Many couldn't help but recall that Biden spent his Saturday sunbathing at a beach near his residence in Delaware. “Biden, literally *3* days ago:” wrote one user on Twitter, as another quipped, “He almost worked a whole standard work week. He needs a break!”

What has Biden been up to? 

While Biden did opt out of the dinner, he checked off other tasks on his list. On Tuesday, he met with the presidents of Lithuania and Turkey, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, and took part in a meeting. His itinerary for Wednesday consists of a high-stakes meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, delivering an address at Vilnius University, and later jetting off to Helsinki. 

Earlier this week he met Britain's King Charles at Windsor Castle, an event that had its fair share of classic Biden blunders. At one point, he appeared to steady himself from tripping, while at the other, he casually put his hand on the monarch's back and ditched traditional protocol.