President Biden struggles to put ‘mental fitness’ worries to rest

At the three-day North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit held in Washington DC, United States (US) President Joe Biden did not do a remarkable job of reassuring Americans and the Democrats regarding his mental fitness as he answered questions in the closing press conference.

The 81-year-old is facing calls to let another candidate, like his Vice President Kamala Harris, replace him at the top of the ticket in the 2024 presidential race due to worries that he is suffering a mental decline.

Recall that President Biden’s performance at the CNN Presidential Debate was so poor that even Democrats couldn’t deny it, with former President Barrack Obama acknowledging it himself.

Biden’s closing presser was dominated by the forthcoming 2024 presidential election in his country, and whether he should continue in his pursuit for re-election.

When asked whether he’d still be able to “deal with” Russia President Vladimir Putin and China President Xi Jinping three years from now, Biden said he would not talk to Putin until the Russian leader shows a change in behaviour.

“I’m dealing with Xi right now and (I’m in) direct contact with him.

“I have no good reason to talk to Putin right now. There’s not much that he is prepared to do in terms of accommodating any change in his behaviour.

“I’m not ready to talk to Putin unless Putin’s ready to change his behaviour,” he said.

However, at times during the hour-long news conference, the 81-year-old struggled to express himself coherently, even confusing former President Donald Trump with Vice-President Kamala Harris, calling her ‘Vice President Trump’

When asked for his opinion of Harris’ ability to beat Trump should be placed at the top of the presidential ticket for the Democratic Party, he said: “Look, I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president, did I think she was not qualified to be president. Let’s be clear about that” (sic).

He went on to say, “I think I’m the most qualified person to run for president.”

This was not the only embarrassing moment though, as it followed an earlier gaffe in a speech after a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, when Biden introduced the Ukraine head of state as “President Putin.”

“And now I hand over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination – ladies and gentlemen, President Putin,” Biden had said.

Biden corrected himself a moment later, adding: “….to beat President Putin – President Zelensky!”

In a post-summit news conference shortly before Biden’s, Britain’s newly-appointed Prime Minister Keir Starmer was repeatedly asked about Biden’s mental fitness.

Starmer said Biden “deserves credit” for the summit’s achievements.

“We have a bigger NATO and more countries; we have a stronger NATO. We have a real sense of resolve,” Starmer said.

“President Biden led through all of that,” he added.

Earlier in the day, Finnish President Alexander Stubb told reporters he had no concerns about Biden’s capabilities.

“I have absolutely no concerns about the capacity of the current president of the United States to lead his country and to lead our fight for Ukraine and to lead NATO,” Stubb told reporters.

“I’ve had the opportunity to speak to President Biden on many occasions during the past 48 hours.

“We are human beings, when we’re treated in the public eye, we’re never as good as we sometimes look, and we’re never as bad,” Stubb added.