Once the formalities were over,Biden drew Albanese in close again. He put his arm over Albanese’s shoulder as they walked toward the meeting room.
Biden,a man who entered the US Congress in 1972,was doing everything he could to make Albanese welcome at the top table,even to the point of bringing humour to the otherwise-serious occasion by joking about the Australian leader’s schedule.
“You got sworn in,you got on a plane and if you fall asleep while you’re here,it’s OK. I don’t know how you’re doing it!” Biden said at the opening of the formal talks.
That drew laughter from around the room,including from Albanese,who flew to Tokyo within three hours of being sworn in as prime minister on Monday morning.
In fact,Biden hammed it up to make sure everyone knew the relationship between the US and Australia was in safe hands on both sides of the Pacific.
Later,in their formal bilateral meeting,when Albanese spoke about his travel across the US as a young man and revealed he had met with the National Rifle Association,Biden jokingly stood up,pretending to leave their bilateral talks in disgust.