New U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said President Joe Biden appeared mentally sharp and was “on really good form” following their meeting at the NATO summit this week—contrasting criticism of the president amid calls for him to leave the presidential race due to his age and concerns of his mental acuity.
President Joe Biden greets British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at a welcome ceremony for the annual ... [+]
Starmer made the comments in an interview with the BBC, saying Biden had “shown incredible leadership.”
When asked whether Biden appeared “senile,” the prime minister replied “no,” saying the two had a “really good” meeting.
The newly elected prime minister said the two went through “a huge number of issues” for the better part of an hour at a meeting Wednesday and he praised Biden for leading NATO through “some of the most challenging issues” it has faced.
Starmer’s comments come as Biden has faced growing calls for him to leave the presidential race against former President Donald Trump following a poor debate performance two weeks ago and increasing concerns about his mental fitness.
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National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters that, similar to Starmer, the three dozen other leaders attending the NATO summit did not voice concerns “about Biden’s political future,” The New York TImes reported Thursday.
Since Biden’s debate performance—which the president admitted he “screwed up”—at least 12 congressional Democrats have called for him to leave the race, along with major Democratic Party donors including George Clooney and Abigail Disney. A number of billionaires have also called on him to step aside, including Walmart’s Christy Walton and crypto investor Michel Novogratz, who signed a letter with more than 100 others calling on Biden to “pass the torch” last Friday. The president has rejected the calls, saying in a letter to Democrats earlier this week: “I wouldn’t be running again if I did not absolutely believe I was the best person to beat Donald Trump in 2024.” Republicans have also criticized Biden for his performance, with some calling for the 25th Amendment to be invoked, which would remove Biden from the presidency and replace him with Vice President Kamala Harris.
How Biden performs in his highly anticipated press conference Thursday afternoon. The White House announced earlier this week Biden would host a rare solo press conference following the NATO summit. The president is somewhat known for his lack of unscripted events and press conferences—as of last April, he had held fewer than any president in the last 100 years, save for Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. Thursday’s press conference will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and it will be livestreamed by the White House.