Which Joe Biden will present himself in Europe in the coming days? A self-confident state leader, strengthened by last-minute successes at home, who explains to the world in which direction it should move under American leadership?
Or a US president distracted by domestic politics, whose own party refuses to follow him and who has his eternal opponent Donald Trump in his luggage again just nine months after taking office?
Until the last minute before departure, Biden fought for his major political projects. The start of his second trip to Europe on Thursday was postponed so that he could once again promote his agenda in Congress and then explain it to the nation in a speech.
Biden, who has been a senator for a long time, loves bargaining. During the election campaign, he promised to reach compromises and results that would significantly improve the lives of Americans.
Now the self-declared dealmaker has to deliver. Otherwise the window of time for real change could quickly close – because the citizens no longer trust the democrats to turn their majorities into constructive politics.
These majorities could then tip in the mid-term elections in 2022. The first already doubt whether the Democrats want to govern – and can.
He can still become a reform president
It is still too early to speak of the failure of the 46th President. He can still become a reformer. If Biden manages to forge some kind of compromise on his trillion-dollar “Build Back Better” plan, and if billions of dollars actually flow into infrastructure, green energies and the welfare state, then his party can use these “historic investments” in the next Draw elections.
What does all this mean for America’s partners? Biden’s first trip to Europe in June celebrated the return of the USA as a reliable leading nation. The West was back with them, it was said.
But even then there were faint doubts as to whether Trumpism was really defeated in the long term. These worries have only grown. Real success, for example with the global minimum tax or in the fight against climate change, could help Biden.
The horror scenario? Trump’s return in 2024
A return of Trump is the horror scenario – for America and for the West as a whole. This time, alliances like NATO would probably not survive.
Trump has declared war on American democracy by questioning the legitimacy of elections. To this day he denies his defeat, he mobilizes his supporters and collects donations for political campaigns. If he succeeds in doing so, the effects can hardly be underestimated.
“Arm yourself,” writes the conservative Trump critic David Frum in an oppressive opinion piece for “The Atlantic”, in which he records what threatens Trump 2.0. This warning is directed at least as much to the Democrats as it is to the Republicans. If the sensible are unable to come together in the face of such danger, things look grim.
It’s not that far yet, and the 79-year-old Biden can still show that he can do what he was chosen for: to lead the country into a better future as a bridge builder. But time is running out. Europe should arm itself.
I am a technology author with 8 years of experience in journalism. My writing covers the latest technology advancements and trends, drawing on my expertise in news journalism and social media platforms. I have contributed to major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Reuters.
