MADRID/BERLIN/ROME — European leaders defended US President Joe Biden after a number of gaffes during a Nato summit while the continent’s media took them as further evidence he was not fit to defeat Donald Trump in November’s presidential election.
Biden, 81, drew gasps at the gathering in Washington when he introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as “President Putin” before mixing up the names of his vice president, Kamala Harris, and Trump during a press conference that his aides had arranged to shore up public trust in his mental faculties.
Biden has faced calls from fellow Democrats and supporters to drop his re-election campaign after a sometimes incoherent performance against Trump in a televised June 27 debate crystallised concerns about his ability to win the Nov 5 vote and handle the demands of the White House.
While European leaders who attended the summit were diplomatic about Biden and praised the organisation of the summit, the European press, such as Britain’s Daily Telegraph, concluded that “Biden looks finished”.
“Slips of tongue happen, and if you always monitor everyone, you will find enough of them,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said when asked by reporters about Biden confusing Zelenskiy with Putin.
The sentiment was echoed by French President Emmanuel Macron and Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof.
Newly elected British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, speaking before Biden’s gaffes, said he and the president were able to address a number of issues “at pace” during their first meeting.
“He was actually on really good form, and mentally agile — absolutely across all the detail,” Starmer told the BBC.
Article URL: https://www.asiaone.com/world/european-leaders-defend-biden-nato-summit-gaffes-media-says-hes-done