Obrador spoke for a long time

Biden appeared "restless and sullen" during his meeting with the Mexican president

Obrador's extended speech made Biden lose focus.

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During his long career as a US Senator, Joe Biden listened to lengthy speeches;

But as he sat in the Oval Office on Tuesday, the US president seemed a bit out of practice.

During a meeting with his Mexican counterpart, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Biden appeared to smile cautiously at times, sullen or fidgety at other times, and took notes as the Mexican president continued to speak for more than half an hour.

About 20 minutes after his remarks, Obrador said he was preparing to conclude, and Biden smiled broadly and then laughed.

Through an interpreter, the populist leader spoke of everything from Franklin Roosevelt's immigration policies to gasoline costs in America and Mexico, lithium mining, and the need for broader and more predictable immigration policies.

Biden made it clear to his counterpart that he agreed with many of Obrador's broad points, that "our two countries have close and family ties."

The US president said that political differences between the two neighbors are often exaggerated by "exaggerated headlines."

The Mexican president ended his speech with a call to do more, especially with regard to immigration policies.

He said, "It is indispensable to regularize the legal status of immigrants, and to give guarantees to immigrants who have lived and worked in a very honest manner for years."

The two leaders continued to meet behind closed doors, after a 45-minute meeting in front of journalists.

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