First Lady Jill Biden is expected to travel to Tokyo, Japan, for the upcoming Summer Olympic Games, President Joe Biden confirmed to reporters as he left the White House on Tuesday. 'We're trying to work that out now. That's the plan,' the president stated.
It is customary for the United States to send a delegation of high-ranking officials to the Olympics' opening and closing ceremonies. However, concerns over the coronavirus pandemic have led to crowd-size restrictions for the Games, which begin late next month. White House press secretary Jen Psaki earlier noted that President Biden would not attend in person, but a delegation would be sent.
The last first lady to attend the Olympics was Michelle Obama, who went to the opening ceremony and several events at the 2012 London Games. Melania Trump skipped the Olympics during Donald Trump's presidency, with Vice President Mike Pence attending the 2018 opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea, and Ivanka Trump leading the delegation for the closing ceremonies.
Public health experts have warned that Japan could host a potential superspreader event due to low COVID-19 vaccination rates, with only about 10 per cent of the population fully vaccinated. Protests have been held in Japan calling for the Games' cancellation over safety concerns.
