Perhaps the optics of an American president have never been quite like those of current President Joe Biden. The falls and gaffes of the White House resident continue, with his presidential performance on the decline in a damaging way to the status and global influence of the US.
The Gaza crisis is the global crisis that has most thrust the American president into the media spotlight, where he is immediately in the limelight given the world public's interest in developments in this war and the attention to the American position as the one most able to exert pressure to end the fighting.
In his recent State of the Union address, Biden touched on several foreign issues, most notably Ukraine and Gaza, where he sought to convince Congress to vote for approved aid to Ukraine, brandishing the danger to democracy and speaking of the potential chaos that could engulf Europe and beyond in the event of Ukraine's defeat.
He said, "If anybody in this room thinks Putin will stop at Ukraine, I assure you: He will not." He again raised the possibility of Ukraine stopping Russia "if we stand with Ukraine and provide the weapons that it needs to defend itself.," denying that Ukraine needs American soldiers, and linking aid to Ukraine to American leadership in the world.
He spoke against a backdrop of increasing reports about the decline of the Ukrainian army and its shift from the offensive to the defensive under pressure from the advance of Russian troops into several Ukrainian cities and the sparking of a debate in Europe about sending troops to Ukraine. This suggests that to defeat Russia, it is no longer just a question of providing weapons, but now also of sending troops from NATO countries to fight alongside Ukraine, potentially bringing with it grave strategic consequences.
Biden's rhetoric on the need to defend NATO, support Ukraine, and stop Putin's plans to control Europe is in total contradiction with the ideas of his Republican rival Donald Trump. But the biggest obstacle to the credibility of this rhetoric is that US military aid, which reached around $44 billion at the end of last year, has not achieved the desired objective and has failed to halt the advance of the Russian army, let alone defeat it militarily.
Biden also spoke about the ongoing war in Gaza, where he tried to be balanced by affirming his full and unwavering support for Israel to defend itself and take the necessary steps to do so, while stressing the importance of protecting civilians and his efforts to free hostages, particularly Americans, and focusing on providing humanitarian aid.
In this context, he spoke of ordering the US military to lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary dock in the Mediterranean Sea off the Gaza coast that can receive large shipments loaded with food, water, medicine, and temporary shelter, stressing that there are no US forces on the ground in Gaza for this new mission.
Biden also spoke of the two-state solution, which he sees as the only guarantee of security, stability, and coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians. His stance on the Gaza war has changed somewhat since October.
The speech also touched on economic achievements, including growth and the reduction of the trade deficit with China, and the US President praised the strength of his country's economy and its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.
Biden said, "I inherited an economy that was on the brink. Now, our economy is literally the envy of the world. Fifteen million new jobs in just three years. A record. A record. Unemployment at 50-year lows." He did not mention the level of US inflation.
Biden also sought to respond to criticism of his presidential candidacy at his age (82), declaring before both houses of Congress: "I know I may not look like it, but I've been around a while. When you get to be my age, certain things become clearer than ever," in a sarcastic reply to his opponents to avoid his critics accusing him of not addressing the elephant in the room.
However, his answer was not convincing enough to allay most voters' concerns about the effects of his advanced age, especially given the constant flubs that suggest a decline in his cognitive functions. Critics of the State of the Union address, led by his predecessor and potential rival Trump, described the speech as a disgrace to the country and the "Worst State of the Union Speech ever made."
Claiming that Biden could not even stand alone on the dais, Trump once again drew attention to the president's advanced age and the USA's declining standing in the world, going on to say that the USA had been humiliated under Biden. Trump also pointed to record inflation rates.
From the House rostrum, Biden tried to dispel the stereotype of the weak president by speaking in a strong, lively voice and, above all, avoiding the slightest blunder in his speech, as his critics watched for the slightest misstep on his part, knowing that it could deal a serious blow to his public image as a president who could run for a second term.
Some also challenged Biden's insistence that Ukraine could stop Russia, deeming this a new "lie." But on the whole, Biden talked a lot about Trump, referring to him as his "predecessor," turning the speech into more of a campaign speech than a State of the Union address. The main point in my opinion, however, is that Biden did not address any real achievements, especially in foreign policy.
For example, issues such as Iran were only briefly touched on in the speech, and the African continent was not broached at all. This sums up President Biden's performance of no real progress in American foreign policy, as the State of the Union speech was more of a State of the President speech, without any deliverables.
