Biden’s age of reckoning at NATO summit

This is an era of reckoning for Joe Biden.

Twelve days after a stalled debate showdown that could go down as one of the most dangerous in modern American history, the president is fighting for his political survival under intense domestic and global scrutiny.

This era’s NATO summit in Washington DC may also be their path to at least short-term relief – or at most a raise for this president.

In a matter of days, Mr Biden has hit out at his critics, claiming the mandate of Democratic number one voters and challenging fighters to step in and try to remove him from office.

He has repeatedly promised that he is moving forward with his marketing campaign and that the age of second guessing and hand-wringing is over. That will start immediately ahead at the NATO summit.

Mr Biden will host coalition leaders for three days of meetings and community events, culminating in a single news conference on Thursday afternoon.

This is a degree to which Mr Biden, a man astutely versed among the international members of the family, will have to be assured. However, it raises the already high stakes for his presidency, as acting needy could have global as well as domestic ramifications.

One mistake could set off a political stampede among Democrats, derailing their hopes of running in the November general election, even if they win it.

It could also raise concerns among EU allies who are worried about the growing possibility of Donald Trump becoming president and the dramatic foreign policy changes that would come with it.

“Biden is entering this week short,” said Christine Berzina, managing director of GeoStrategy North, a German Marshall charity.

“We don’t know how he’s going to get out of this.”

It is understood that many EU leaders are concerned about Trump and his foreign policy strategy. Previous presidents have condemned multilateral world alliances.

Ms. Berzina said that two weeks into the date, these leaders, on the other hand, were experiencing something unused — Biden anxiety.

Regarding his ability to defuse debate, she says, American allies have begun to doubt whether the president is up to the responsibility.

Heading towards the NATO summit, they are hoping to see some evidence that their performance that night was a distraction and did not reflect the untested standard.

“It is worrying to see a close ally, your most valued ally, falter,” Ms Berzina said.

“So I think there’s tremendous hope that Biden will pass the test. But if he is not able to deliver results, it raises more questions about America’s credibility.

The focus will be on the US President as he participates in Zenith sessions, hosting global leaders in the White Space and taking part in bilateral meetings with key leaders, including newly elected British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Even behind the closed doors of NATO summits, Mr Biden’s commitment to efficiency – true or ill-conceived – is sure to be highlighted.

Mr. Biden is facing a lot of activity at the regional level in this era.

The President has certainly pointed to supporting and expanding NATO in the face of Russian aggression as one of his major accomplishments.

This is one of the things that differentiates his leadership from Trump’s – as well as from any Democrat who could potentially replace him in the polls – and his anticipation of demonstrating this to the American community will be extreme.

“Who can keep NATO together like me?” the president said in his interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on Friday. He said the NATO summit could be a great way to pass judgment on his talent.

“Come listen,” he said. “See what they say.”

However, merely addressing low expectations at the NATO summit and Thursday’s press conference will not be enough for the many politicians, pundits and party activists who are already calling for him to step aside.

“Just having a few nice appearances won’t stop the questions,” said Bill Sher, a pro bono Washington pundit and scholar who recently wrote a column for Vice President Kamala Harris calling on Mr. Biden to step down.

“Time was really of the essence to nip all the speculation in the bud, and they wasted a week. There is no clear way out of this situation.”

Mr Sher – an established supporter of Mr Biden – says community sentiment has grown stronger in opposition to him as the president now tries to get rid of him in media interviews, letters and by shouting down Democratic politicians.

And once that sentiment becomes fully entrenched in the surveys – which could shock for several weeks – it will surely be too late to clearly replace it.

“I understand how difficult it is when you’re near the end of your life and you’re not performing as well as you used to,” Mr Sher said. “It would be painful to have to come to terms with this publicly.”

However, the data that points to Mr Biden losing support and facing defeat in November is becoming more and more unclear.

Polls show that about three-quarters of American citizens – or even a majority of Democrats – believe the president would get sick. A half-dozen Democratic members of Congress have called on him to step down, and several others have announced only evasive support.

On the other hand, the President continues to say that he will step up his marketing campaign, and he has nationwide convention delegates to ensure that he is the Democratic nominee. The decision is firmly in his hands, and if he can make it in time without making any elementary mistakes, he will, presumably, live to tell the tale of the raging storm.

The story of this era has been redrawn. This is certainly not one to celebrate the 75th day of NATO’s life and focus on the difficult times ahead.

Rather, it is a story that could decide whether Mr. Biden can survive politically to fight another time.