Trump to participate in virtual G20 summit amid COVID-19 surge
Nov 21, 2020
Washington [US], November 21 : US President Donald Trump will appear at the virtual Group of 20 (G20) summit this weekend, announced the White House, as global leaders struggle with surging COVID-19 cases around the world.
Trump will participate in the summit on both Saturday and Sunday, according to a schedule released by the White House on Friday night, reported The Hill.
It is unclear what events the President will participate in exactly.
The summit for the group, comprising of 19 leading world economies and the European Union, moved online this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Saudi Arabia's King Salman will chair the summit, which was originally set to take place in Riyadh.
Trump's appearance at the summit comes as he refuses to accept President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the recently held presidential elections while his campaign seeks to overturn the outcome of the polls.
During remarks in the White House Rose Garden last Friday, Trump said that his administration would not advocate a national lockdown to stem the spread of coronavirus and seemingly pushed back on the incoming Biden administration implementing any such restriction, reported The Hill.
The G20 summit is held at a time when coronavirus cases are raging around the globe, with more than 57 million cases reported worldwide and nearly 1.37 million deaths.
US is the worst-hit nation due to COVID-19, with over 11.9 million cases and over 254,000 deaths.
