David Cameron, accompanied by his wife, Samantha, arrived in Washington on Tuesday for a three-day visit, with Afghanistan expected to dominate his talks with US President Barack Obama.
But before serious talks began, Cameron and Obama set for a boys' night out. The American host and his British guest buddied up over hot dogs and hoops.
Obama and Cameron, dressed casually in slacks and jeans, respectively, watched courtside as Western Kentucky defeated Mississippi Valley State in the opener of the men’s tournament at the University of Dayton.
The president chatted with fans in the not-quite-full arena between plays and, from afar, it looked like the president was explaining aspects of the game to the prime minister as they sat huddled next to each other, according to pool reports.
For Cameron, it was the first basketball experience. He admitted that at times, following the rules of the game that is very popular in the US but considerably less so in the UK was tricky.
"I'm enjoying it, it's fast, it's pretty fast and furious. It's hard to follow sometimes exactly who's done what wrong."
Obama was helping his British colleague to follow the game and in exchange, he said, Cameron would teach him something about cricket.
Obama and Cameron also enjoyed another great American tradition: hot dogs.
The quick trip to the swing state was intended to showcase the “close” relationship between the two nations, according to the White House.
“What makes our relationship special — a unique and essential asset — is that we join hands across so many endeavors. Put simply, we count on each other and the world counts on our alliance,” the president and prime minister wrote in a joint op-ed in the Washington Post.
