Obama to cut India trip short to visit Saudi Arabia

(Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

published 24 January 2015

President Barack Obama will cancel the end of his itinerary in India, opting instead to fly to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and pay his respects to the late King Abdullah's family, White House officials told The New York Times on Saturday.

Obama left Washington on Saturday morning for his second presidential trip to India, and he was originally scheduled to visit the country's iconic Taj Mahal on Tuesday. He will still serve as India's chief guest at Monday's Republic Day celebration — a first for an American leader — and meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Vice President Joe Biden was originally going to lead a delegation to Saudi Arabia, but White House officials said they changed the plan when it was decided that Obama could attend himself. The Times notes that Obama has not often made trips to pay respects to families of deceased leaders in other countries; one notable exception was in 2013, when Obama attended former South Africa president Nelson Mandela's state memorial.

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Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.