At 81 years old, Joe Biden predates NATO’s formation by more than six years. Yet even as the alliance rings in its platinum jubilee, marking 75 years of existence with a three-day gathering in Washington, D.C. this week, the president’s own age remains the subject of intense scrutiny.
With his re-election campaign in full-blown crisis mode thanks to an abject debate performance last month, all eyes were on Biden as he delivered the summit’s opening speech—which was intended to serve as proof positive of his mental and physical fitness as much as it was a rallying call to global leaders.
“This moment in history calls for our collective strength,” Biden said.
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The president reaffirmed NATO’s commitment to helping Ukraine beat back Russia’s invasion, announcing that the U.S. and other allies would supply the beleaguered nation with dozens of new air defense systems in the coming months.
“The war will end with Ukraine remaining a free and independent country,” he said. “Russia will not prevail. Ukraine will prevail.”
To close out his time on stage, Biden awarded Jens Stoltenberg, NATO’s Norwegian secretary-general, with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
“Today, NATO is stronger, smarter, more energized than when you began,” the president told a visibly surprised Stoltenberg. “A billion people across Europe and North America—indeed the whole world—will reap the rewards of your labor for years to come.”
Biden delivered his 13-minute speech with few slip-ups or mistakes, reading carefully from a teleprompter and speaking with a strong, clear voice. His performance no doubt came as a relief to the lawmakers and donors who have continued to defend him since the June 27 debate.
His mumbled, rambling responses on the Georgia stage opposite Donald Trump cast doubt on his viability as the Democratic presidential nominee. At least half a dozen Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill have since called for Biden to step aside for a new candidate.
The White House has continued to defend him, characterizing the debate as merely one bad night. But the impression of the president as a doddering man slowly succumbing to the trappings of old age have not been belied in the days since, particularly given a halting sit-down interview with ABC News last Friday.
Given the context, Tuesday evening’s speech was the closest to a return to form Biden has yet shown the public. The president is scheduled to hold a solo news conference on Thursday afternoon at the summit’s end—his first such event in the U.S. since late 2022, according to The New York Times.
