The other 31 NATO leaders arrived in Washington on the same day as Democrats returned to Capitol Hill to intensify debate over whether the president should remain their nominee. ECU leaders were closely analyzing Biden’s social and personal interactions amid concerns about whether he could defeat presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, who has threatened to tear NATO to pieces.
Following his shaky debate performance against Trump on June 27, many Democratic lawmakers called for him to end his re-election bid. The president’s forceful rejection of those recommendations was initially thought to rule out defection, but former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) reiterated Wednesday morning that Biden had a notable option to build on.
As NATO leaders arrived in Washington on Tuesday for their summit, they compared notes on their conversations with Biden, an EU official representative said, in an effort to build a fuller picture of the most remarkable alliance leader. ,
Biden’s most notable test will come Thursday, when he is set to hold an extraordinary news conference that Democrats say will be crucial to proving he has the strength and mental agility to campaign against Trump. ECU leaders may also take a close look at the president’s news conference to determine whether his debate performance was a disastrous night, as Biden has argued, or a sign of a major illness that will make him harder to defeat. Will give. Trump.
Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) said, “The summit provides the President with an opportunity to demonstrate his strong global leadership in contrast to Donald Trump, who would weaken NATO.” “The entire summit gives him an opportunity to demonstrate his leadership and foreign policy credentials, and the press conference gives him an opportunity to address concerns.”
The ECU official said that at a reception with all 32 NATO leaders on Tuesday, Biden’s manner was matching the welcome speech he gave that night, identifying alternative leaders without prompting and in fleeting meetings. Looking for liquidity, the ECU official said. The official said the president has mingled with other leaders without offering his own or his aides’ offers, which have been rejected.
Another ECU official said some countries in the intended audience for Biden’s pronouncement were watching intently as the president placed the medal around the neck of outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, but the ceremony went off without a hitch. Each official spoke openly about their checks from the US President on condition of anonymity.
Biden was set to take part in an operational consultation with alternative NATO leaders on Wednesday before web hosting Britain’s unelected top minister Keir Starmer on the White House. Tonight he and leading lady Jill Biden will host NATO leaders and their wives at a White Area dinner.
At the beginning of the month, Biden pushed the ban through a meeting of AFL-CIO leaders, a friendly team that has confirmed its backup for the president. “I have never been more optimistic about America’s prospects, not because of me but because of what we are doing together,” Biden instructed union leaders.
Biden’s demeanor and psychological agility often come under similar scrutiny at NATO conferences and dinners. During the Team of the Seven Nations summit in Italy, many ECU leaders were struck by how unaccustomed they seemed to the situation when they had spent at most only a year or, in some cases, months, interacting with the President. Were. Even before this many officials had expressed their reaction.
The leaders felt that he seemed more tired, more weak and was in greater danger of losing his teaching of thought, even though he soon got back on the right track. The net effect, officials said, was that leaders believed Biden was now able to fulfill his responsibilities, but questions were how he would be able to hand down another four-year term.
Biden wants to defuse the problems, starting with his tone in welcoming NATO leaders to Washington on Tuesday. He spoke passionately about the new strength of the alliance – highlighting the inclusion of two underserved countries, Finland and Sweden, and the increase in countries spending at least 2 percent of GDP on defense – and gave Trump an indirect Scolded. The former president has threatened to break up the alliance and said he would allow Russia to do “whatever they want” with any NATO country that doesn’t spend too much.
Biden did not mention Trump by name, but said a bipartisan majority of American citizens support the alliance and spoke of the risks of a foreign policy without it.
“It’s good that we are stronger than ever because this moment in history demands our collective strength,” Biden said. “The American people understand what would have happened if there was no NATO, there would be another war in Europe, American soldiers would fight and die, dictators would spread anarchy.”
