Joe Biden Faces Next Big Test After Debate

President Joe Biden faces a high-profile test of his fitness for office this week at the NATO Summit in Washington, as world leaders gather to discuss Ukraine and other security issues amid growing calls from some Democrats for Biden to exit the 2024 race.

Biden is convening allies to mark the security alliance's 75th anniversary and announce new support for Ukraine amid speculation that former President Donald Trump might cut U.S. aid to Kyiv if he returns to the White House.

But the annual summit comes at the most challenging point in Biden's presidency, raising the stakes for him to deliver a strong performance that calms Democrats in Congress — as well as visiting heads of state — following his disastrous debate with Trump last month.

"It's a big moment," said Kait Sweeney, a Democratic consultant. "If he comes across as a calm, smart, collected person at the helm [of the country], that will go a long way towards reassuring folks that he has what it takes to run."

In recent days Biden has himself framed the NATO forum as an unofficial referendum on his ability to continue serving as president. Biden, at 81, is the oldest president in U.S. history and would be 86 at the end of his second term. Trump, who has also faced questions about his age and mental acuity, is 78 years old.

The summit is "a good way to judge me," Biden told ABC's George Stephanopoulos last Friday, in his first television interview after the debate. In the interview Biden also pointed to his support for NATO and overall foreign policy record to make the case that he can beat Trump.

"Who's gonna be able to hold NATO together like me?" Biden said.

The ABC interview was part of an effort by Biden to go on the offensive after a debate in which he stumbled repeatedly and struggled to finish his thoughts at times. The president also campaigned in Wisconsin on Friday and in Pennsylvania over the weekend. Biden wrote a letter Monday to congressional Democrats saying he won't drop out of the race and urging the party to get behind him.

The outreach appears to have bought Biden some time. House and Senate Democratic leaders haven't yet publicly called on him to exit the race.

Still, a small but growing number of rank-and-file Democrats have called on Biden to drop out. Privately, some Democrats have started rallying around Vice President Harris as his most likely replacement.

The internal debate among Democrats will be a central backdrop to the NATO summit, making it hard for Biden to avoid questions about his age and political standing.

A senior Biden administration official said the gathering in Washington would focus on Western support for Ukraine. The U.S. and its European allies plan to announce new military aid to Ukraine at the summit, including steps to strengthen the country's air defense systems against Russia, said the official, who spoke on background to brief reporters ahead of the summit.

The summit will also give the U.S. and its allies an opportunity to highlight the alliance's 75-year history while welcoming two new members in Sweden and Finland who joined NATO in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Concerns around Biden's age will take a backseat to foreign policy, the senior administration official said.

"Foreign leaders have seen Joe Biden up close and personal for the last three years. They know who they're dealing with and they know how effective he's been," the official said.

But Biden's capacity has come under question during recent engagements with foreign leaders, including at the Group of Seven nations summit in Italy in June.

Any verbal slip up or awkward interaction will be magnified at the NATO summit, putting more pressure on Biden to appear energetic and avoid mistakes.

Biden is scheduled to host an official dinner and attend several working meetings with other NATO leaders throughout the week. The president is also slated to give a news conference where questions about his race with Trump are sure to come up.

Foreign policy analysts said U.S. domestic politics will play a prominent role at the summit as allies grapple with the possibility of a second Trump term and what that might mean for the war in Ukraine, dealing with China and other issues.

Trump has frequently criticized NATO in the past over the size of the U.S. contribution relative to those of other countries. As a 2024 candidate he said if elected he would encourage Russia to "do whatever the hell they want" with members of the alliance that don't meet their defense spending obligations.

The criticism has sparked a debate in Europe about how to strengthen NATO — and provide long-term aid to Ukraine — to counteract any changes Trump might seek to make as president.

"There are a lot of discussions about Trump-proofing the alliance," Rachel Rizzo, an expert at the Atlantic Council's Europe Center, said on a call previewing the summit.

Biden has argued that the best way to Trump-proof NATO is for him to remain in office. The summit will give Biden a primetime opportunity to make the case as he fights for his political survival.

"[The NATO summit] is going to be a showcase for Biden," said Jim Townsend, a former NATO and Pentagon official. "A lot of audiences on both sides of the Atlantic will be watching."