Biden's elder statesman reflex frustrates some Dems
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With his back against the wall, President Biden has instinctively defaulted to a familiar but politically dubious argument for staying in the race: his decades of foreign policy experience.
Why it matters: Historians may one day praise Biden for strengthening NATO, supporting Ukraine and assembling the AUKUS alliance. But the current crisis of confidence is about Biden's future — not his past — and some Democrats fear he's missing that point.
Zoom in: Biden shines most when he's able to flex his foreign policy expertise, sharpened by his years of experience as Senate Foreign Relations chairman and vice president.
- The high point of Biden's press conference after the NATO summit — a comfortable venue for his first major appearance since the June 27 debate — was his deft navigation of a question about China's relationship with Russia.
- "To answer the question on everyone's minds: No, Joe Biden does not have a doctorate in foreign affairs. He's just that f***ing good," White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates triumphantly tweeted.
The problem: There's little evidence that complex foreign policy issues are resonating with voters, especially the ones in swing states that Biden desperately needs to win on an electoral map that's trending in Donald Trump's favor.
- When polled on all foreign policy issues combined, a single-digit percentage of Americans rated it as the most important problem facing the country, according to Gallup.
- More voters actually have confidence in Trump (49%) to make good decisions about foreign policy than Biden (39%), a shift since 2020, according to a Pew Research poll published this month.
- Some of the most damaging moments in Biden's presidency — the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and Israel's ongoing war in Gaza — have been related to foreign policy.
The big picture: Few Democrats dispute Biden's claims that his presidency has been enormously successful, including when it comes to revitalizing alliances and building coalitions.
- They — and the president himself — highlight a strong U.S. economy and a historic domestic agenda that's unleashed billions in funding for infrastructure, semiconductors and green technology.
- But what keeps Democrats up at night is a fear that Biden's mental fitness is preventing him from campaigning effectively and energetically about the policies that — as he puts it — will help him "finish the job."
- Those concerns have been reinforced by Biden's public and private appearances, where his attempts at damage control have occasionally been derailed by gaffes or flashes of anger.
Behind the scenes: During a tense Zoom call with moderate House Democrats on Saturday, Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) confronted Biden with the argument that foreign allies question his ability to lead.
- "Name me a foreign leader who thinks I'm not the most effective leader in the world on foreign policy. Tell me! Tell me who the hell that is! Tell me who put NATO back together," Biden told Crow, according to Puck.
- When Crow replied that the issue is not "breaking through to voters," Biden shot back: "You oughta talk about it! ... On national security, nobody has been a better president than I've been."
The other side: Biden has in recent weeks unveiled domestic policy proposals for a second term, some of which are targeted to his progressive base.
- In a speech in Michigan last week, for example, Biden pledged to cap the cost of insulin for every American at $35 per month, make housing more affordable, and end Trump's tax cuts for the "very wealthy."
The bottom line: Elections almost always are about tomorrow, not yesterday. And foreign policy typically takes a back seat to domestic politics.
- Biden is challenging both trends, demanding credit for accomplishments in distant lands — and arguing that he's better qualified than anyone to lead America through a world in disarray.
