As Donald Trump announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for President in 2024 at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, Tuesday evening, President Joe Biden was in a makeshift war room in Indonesia, addressing a potential global crisis—offering a splitscreen of the two leaders.
Trump had previously lambasted both the G7 and NATO, questioning the groups’ value, during his term in office. During his campaign announcement in Florida, however, he said of the G20, “I used to love that. The leaders—I used to make deals for our country like you would not believe.” But in reality, observers have said Trump’s foreign policy approach as president left the United States more isolated and a less reliable international partner. Biden pledged in his 2020 campaign to reassert America’s leadership in the global arena.
Just before the former President took the stage in Florida to launch his 2024 bid, Biden convened an “emergency” meeting at his hotel with other leaders of the G7 and NATO member states on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Bali, after reports of an explosion on Poland’s eastern side near the Ukraine border killed two of its citizens.
The Polish foreign ministry initially said the blast came from a Russian-made missile. Russia’s defense ministry denied involvement. According to NATO’s Article 5, an attack on one member, such as Poland, is considered an attack on all the members, and may trigger a collective response.
Early Wednesday morning in Bali, Biden called Polish President Andrzej Duda to express his “deep condolences” for the deaths in Przewodow, less than 4 miles from the border with Ukraine.
After discussing with G7 and NATO leaders, Biden promised full support for Poland’s investigation into the explosion, saying there was “total unanimity among folks at the table.” A joint statement from the two groups condemned the attacks.
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Chad de Guzman
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