‘Presidential Candidate Withdrawal’ Highlighted for Biden
Biden Faces Crucial Test at NATO Summit
Biden and Staff See NATO Summit as Turning Point
Starting from the 9th (local time), U.S. President Joe Biden, attending the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, will face a critical test regarding his suitability as a presidential candidate in the upcoming November election.
If he achieves solid results at this meeting, attended by leaders of NATO's 31 allied countries as well as non-member countries such as South Korea and Japan, it could help strengthen his candidacy. However, if he repeats the verbal mistakes he made during the presidential debate on the 27th of last month, pressure to withdraw his candidacy may intensify.
President Biden will host the NATO summit held in Washington DC from the 9th to the 11th (local time). He will open the summit with a speech on the first day, followed by meetings and a dinner for NATO leaders at the White House the next day. On the final day, he will hold a press conference. Additionally, during the summit, President Biden plans to hold bilateral talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and newly appointed UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
President Biden, who has been under scrutiny for cognitive decline, failed to show improvement in an interview with ABC News on the 5th, and so far, at least 10 Democratic House members have pressured him to withdraw from the presidential race.
President Biden has identified the NATO summit as the stage to prove his health. For this reason, attention from not only the United States but also countries around the world is expected to focus on Biden’s words, actions, and health condition.
The staff are confident. Julian Smith, U.S. Ambassador to NATO, told The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), “When I briefed President Biden about the summit three weeks ago, he asked many difficult questions,” adding, “I am confident in the president’s abilities.” Jake Sullivan, White House National Security Advisor, and John Kirby, White House National Security Council Communications Coordinator, also assured that President Biden will demonstrate his health at the NATO summit.
U.S. allies also seem to be paying close attention to Biden’s health, especially as the possibility of former President Trump, who advocates nationalism, winning the election again increases. This is because if Biden’s cognitive issues become prominent and Trump is re-elected, U.S. policy on Ukraine support, the biggest issue for NATO, could change.
Rachel Lizza, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank, said, “The mistakes President Biden used to make frequently will now be perceived by European leaders as questions of his fitness.”
In particular, since this NATO summit is held domestically with no need for jet lag adjustment and other negative variables are limited, every verbal and behavioral mistake by President Biden is expected to be closely linked to his suitability for a second term.
Heather Conley, president of the German Marshall Fund, emphasized, “Every action and every moment the president takes now is a factor that determines success or failure,” adding, “For the sake of the United States and national security, the president must show strong results.”
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