Obama in Brazil Day 1
President Barack Obama and his oldest daughter, Malia, exit Air Force One after their arrival in Rio de Janiero on Saturday March 19, 2011.
President Obama arrived in Rio de Janeiro just after 8 pm this evening after a day spent meeting with President Dilma Rousseff in Brasilia. As expected Rousseff brought up Brazil's opposition to US ethanol tariffs and her country's aspirations for a permanent U.N. Security Council seat. Obama, however, stopped short of supporting those aspirations.
The New York Times says that Rousseff cancelled a joint press conference with Obama at the last moment. Instead, she agreed only to a joint statement. Rumor has it that she didn't want to face questions on Brazil's abstention from the U.N. vote on Libya, and Obama's lack of explicit support for a permanent security council seat. Brazilian officials denied the rumors.
And for those who are interested, Michelle Obama looked stunning in yellow and blue as she disembarked from Air Force One.