President Biden gave a look of sheer surprise Wednesday as he was greeted by a troupe of Angolan dancers — before nearly falling asleep as regional leaders droned on at a subsequent meeting about a US-funded railway project.
The retiring 82-year-old president wore a quizzical expression as he disembarked Air Force One to see about 20 face-painted dancers wearing colorful prints and animal hides, one of whom leaped in the air to greet him.
Biden flashed a gaped-mouth look of astonishment at one point and smiled at others at his welcome party in the African country’s burgeoning Lobito trade corridor.
Biden’s trip went sideways later in the day when pool reporters noticed an exhausted-looking president resting his eyes and propping his face up with his hand as he listened to Vice President Philip Mpango of Tanzania at a discussion roundtable.
The warm room may have contributed to the drowsy spell, which was interrupted when an aide whispered in the president’s ear.
Angolan President João Lourenço, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema and Democratic Republic of the Congo President Félix Tshisekedi also participated in the group discussion.
Biden, who leaves office Jan. 20, visited the region along the central coast of Angola to tout efforts to build a $1 billion US-funded railway linking the country to the Indian Ocean — a major infrastructure project intended to woo the region away from Chinese investment and influence.
“All these projects and investments are designed to have high impact,” Biden said at the group meeting.
“The United States understands that how we invest in Africa is just as important as how much we invest in Africa.”
The Biden administration also has backed a $2 billion solar energy project in Angola — with the Export-Import Bank issuing a $900 million loan last year.
Biden on Tuesday pledged $1 billion in humanitarian aid to Africans displaced by drought, and on Wednesday announced a planned $600 million contribution toward supporting agriculture and other economic development along the new rail corridor — though the fate of both promises is unclear due to the fact that President-elect Donald Trump, who is more skeptical of foreign aid, takes power next month.