Boris Johnson has cut a maverick figure on his trip to New York by not consistently wearing a mask.
The photos show the Prime Minister gripping his mask with one side and holding some papers the other. This is despite Biden and foreign secretary Liz Truss and Kamala Harris being comfortably covered in their face covers as they set the Oval Office in order.
Although Johnson appears to have been the one speaking during the photos, it is still quite jarring.
Johnson was trying to negotiate a trade agreement with the US on the trip. But on Tuesday, Biden said “we’ll have to work that through” creating the sense that this might not be the walk in the (Central) park Johnson had hoped.
Both men agreed to continue their efforts on climate change, as well as sharing intelligence and military assets. During their three-day visit, they spoke out about keeping peace in Northern Ireland.
Johnson masks up in some photos to indicate that he was speaking at the moment.
However, these photos aren’t the kind of photos that we expect government accounts to post on social media because they can cause controversy.
Indeed, some people questioned why he was the only person to go without a mask:
PR nightmare.