By Kanishka Singh and Jasper Ward
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris canceled her upcoming trip to Singapore, Bahrain and Germany due to the ongoing wildfires in California, the White House said on Thursday after President Joe Biden made a similar decision a day earlier.
Biden canceled an upcoming trip to Italy where he was due to meet Pope Francis, Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
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“In response to the historic wildfires in Los Angeles, the Vice President has made the decision to cancel her and the Second Gentleman’s upcoming trip to Singapore, Bahrain, and Germany,” the White House said on Thursday.
The canceled trip of Harris, who is from California, would likely would have been her last as vice president before leaving office on Jan. 20.
Los Angeles is facing the worst wildfires in its history that has thus far killed five people, led to the evacuations of 180,000 and consumed 31,000 acres (12,500 hectares).
Biden, who declared a major disaster in California, met with top administration officials on Thursday afternoon to discuss the federal response.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Jasper Ward; Editing by Sandra Maler)
