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Welcome to Balance of Power, bringing you the latest in global politics. If you haven’t yet, sign up here. For anyone who might still be in denial about the likelihood of Trump 2.0, the US presidential debate was hard to watch — a nightmare for Democrats and for Western allies still scarred by Donald Trump’s first stint in the White House. Joe Biden delivered an excruciating performance, at one point freezing mid-sentence, heightening fears about the 81-year-old president’s mental acuity. It also reminded the rest of the world what they’ll get if Trump wins in November. It’s
been four years since the two political foes met on stage, and back
then foreign policy wasn’t front and center. But with two major
conflicts raging where Washington has skin in the game, Trump’s
unpredictable views matter again, with polls indicating he’ll prevail
against Biden. In
the past he’s threatened to pull out of NATO, expressed admiration for
Russian President Vladimir Putin and took a swipe at Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In the debate, Trump decried the billions
of dollars spent on Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion and said
bluntly that Kyiv is “not winning that war.” He bragged he’d end the
conflict by his inauguration in January.
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WATCH: Biden stumbled through some exchanges. Jodi Schneider reports for Bloomberg TV.
When it came to
Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza, Trump simply said: “Let them finish the
job.” Biden has tried and failed for months to broker a cease-fire.
After this debate, one can’t imagine Netanyahu paying him any more heed. Is it too late to replace Biden on the ticket? That’s no longer a taboo thought. It’s
been a wild year of elections that has produced surprises at every
turn, from South Africa to Mexico and France — and has seen the
relentless rise of far-right populism in Europe. The
world thought they had left Trump’s America First policies behind once
Biden swept into office with his “America’s Back” slogan. How wrong they were. — Justin Sink |