Pirate's Cove

I think this is how they all felt

???? Watch: Giorgia Meloni rolls eyes at Biden’s tardiness, and pretended to look at an imaginary watch during moment of frustration at this week’s Nato summit #Meloni #NATOSummit #Biden pic.twitter.com/9zeGLAbvWr

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) July 12, 2024

Biden was, by some reports, an hour late. It’s not like he had to travel far, since the conference was in D.C., and Biden doesn’t have to wait for traffic

Biden’s gaffe has ruined months of our hard work, say European officials

Joe Biden’s gaffes have ruined months of hard work and undermined the Nato summit, diplomatic sources told The Telegraph.

On stage, Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz defended the president over a slip of the tongue in which he called Volodymyr Zelensky “President Putin”.

The US leader went on to call Kamala Harris “vice-president Trump”.

But roaming the corridors of the summit, aides were more frank in their verdict of the president’s performance.
“It was awful,” an official said, describing standing in the crowd as events unfurled.

The consensus amongst diplomats and officials who spoke to The Telegraph, and were granted anonymity to speak more freely, was that it took less than a minute to change the narrative of an entire summit.

Instead of staying strong and talking about Russia and China, they all had to deal with Biden’s gaffe, which, again, was not out of the ordinary for him. They were staying strong in the face of Russia invading Ukraine (not that it’s making a darned bit of difference), then they were dealing with the media asking them about Biden.

That’s the view from across the pond. Now for a US perspective

‘You’re worried if he knows which direction he’s going’: Nervous world leaders greet Biden at NATO

The contrast couldn’t be starker: President Joe Biden, physically and politically frail, presiding over what could be his final NATO Summit at a moment when the alliance has never been so strong.

That tension is not lost on NATO officials from multiple European nations who say they are alarmed by Biden’s apparent decline and increasingly concerned at the prospect of seeing an ardent champion of the alliance replaced in November by a hostile Donald Trump.

NATO officials are both saddened at how Biden’s fortunes have turned and frustrated that the storyline has distracted from what was to be a celebratory summit. They are also increasingly resigned to his defeat this November, which they fear could halt or reverse the 32-member alliance’s recent momentum, threatening Ukraine’s ability to fend off Russia’s onslaught and the broader stability that has been the bedrock of the organization since its Cold War creation.

“It’s a very weird feeling to be in Europe listening to the president of the United States, and you’re more stressed about whether he will go off script than being excited to listen to the leader of the free world,” a senior European diplomat said. “You’re worried if he knows which direction he’s going or whether he’s going to fall or what he’s going to forget or if he’ll say ‘North Korea’ when he meant ‘South Korea.’ It’s just a weird experience.”

They may not like Trump, but, they’re all now spending at least 2% of GDP on defense, like Trump wanted. Of course, that was because Trump wanted them to pay their fair share rather than depending on America. Now they’re spending it because Biden is weak and they’re worried about Russia invading Europe, as well as all the money and goods for Ukraine.

But nearly everyone who spoke got hit with the same awkward questions about Biden’s weakened political position following his debate with Trump and what his electoral loss could mean for the alliance.

“I’m not going to comment on this topic,” said Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who walked off after speaking for just a few minutes. Others responded mostly with platitudes about respecting America’s democratic process and professions of faith that NATO will endure even if Trump is ushered back into office.

And they all had to deal with this. How many of them say Biden’s decline years ago and said nothing?