The official noted that the Quad met at foreign minister level under the previous administration of Donald Trump, who is running against Vice President Kamala Harris in November, andenjoyed bipartisan support, as reflected by the formation of a congressional Quad Caucus ahead of the summit.

Biden has met with the leaders of Japan, India and Australia privately at his Wilmington, Delaware home ahead of the secretive Quadrilateral Security Dialogue meeting this weekend.

The president has often said that “all politics is personal,” and on Saturday he opened his home in Wilmington to the leaders of Australia, India and Japan.