Report from the NATO summit - "They have seen Biden's decline": Heads of state "deeply concerned" about US election
"Doubts about President Joe Biden's suitability for another term in office have not gone unnoticed among the participants of the NATO summit marking the alliance's 75th anniversary in Washington, D.C. And many of them seem to share these doubts. 'They don't believe he can make it another four years, and I can say that applies to all political leaders I've met at the NATO summit', reported Ian Bremmer, founder and president of the consulting firm Eurasia Group and initiator of the Global Political Risk Index on Wall Street, on MSNBC on Tuesday.
Bremmer maintains close contacts in high international politics and reportedly spoke with several heads of state and government about Biden during the three-day jubilee event in the US capital. 'They don't dislike him', stressed the political expert. But they are 'deeply concerned'. This concern is not related to whether they belong to the left or right wing of their respective political spectrum. Biden's ageing process is nothing new to them, explained Bremmer. They had already reported this at the G7 summit in June in Italy and discussed it when they met with the president in Normandy.
Biden visited France in early June for several days on a state visit to participate in the commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the Allied landing in Normandy. In the middle of the month, he then met with the leaders of the other G7 countries in Italy.
NATO allies are concerned about Biden's campaign viability
More than other countries in the world, the NATO countries are worried about the potential consequences of a Trump victory and another presidency, reported Bremmer further. The reason is the declared policy of the Republican towards Russia and Ukraine, as well as towards NATO and the European Union. 'They simply don't think he's grown into the job. They increasingly believe he's going to lose.'
Want to know everything about the US election?
The stern team on site keeps you informed every Saturday in the free newsletter "Inside America" about the most important developments and gives you insights into how Americans really look at their country. After entering your email address, you will receive a confirmation email. We handle your data confidentially. In response to MSNBC host Katy Tur's question about whether Biden could be doing something behind the scenes to convince the concerned leaders that he 'still is the guy who can win', Bremmer answered: 'Once again: They want him to win. I mean, not Viktor Orban in Hungary, but the vast majority of foreign leaders here in Washington want Biden to win.'
It's not that the heads of state and government fear that Biden is currently unable to perform his presidential duties, clarified Bremmer. 'They don't think Biden needs to step down. I haven't heard that from anyone. But what I have heard is that he won't be able to successfully continue his campaign for another four months, let alone serve another four years.' "
At the Munich Security Conference at the end of February, according to Bremmer, the heads of state and government had believed in a victory for Biden based on his opinion at that time. However, their doubts had grown in the past few months. And now, they mostly believed that he would lose.
"This is due to the fact that they have spent a lot of time with him in the last one to two years," explained Bremmer. "They have seen the decline. They have seen how he has become slower, not only physically slower. Signs of Biden's aging, for example, are the repetition of the same anecdote during a single meeting. 'I heard this today from a leading world politician,' the expert said. Another indication is not recognizing someone they know well when they approach him and introduce themselves.
The White House had already denied reports before the NATO summit that the other 31 NATO countries were concerned about Biden's fitness for office. For such concerns of the allies, the government sees "no signs," it was said from Washington. Biden had acted frivolous and absent-minded in the TV duel against Trump just two weeks ago and had repeatedly contradicted himself in his statements.
At the NATO summit, leaders voiced concerns about Joe Biden's ability to serve another term, with many expressing doubts about his campaign viability. This concern is not exclusive to NATO, as even leaders from the G7 summit in June shared similar sentiments.
Despite these concerns, NATO allies do not dislike President Biden. They are, however, deeply concerned about his potential inability to serve another term, a concern that has grown over time due to observing his aging process.
