Yamiche Alcindor:
Nicely, as you stated, Judy, this was a day that actually was a microcosm of the challenges that President Biden faces.
His schedule at this time actually laid out the most important problem to the presidency, whether or not it was the Democracy Summit, whether or not it was COVID and his assembly with the duty drive, or whether or not it was him going over to Capitol Hill and paying his respects to the late Senator Bob Dole.
Now, in relation to international coverage, on the Democracy Summit, the place he introduced collectively greater than 100 international locations, the president basically stated that democracy is a fragile factor that must be protected. He additionally, although, had a sense of humility, saying that the USA understands, simply as different international locations, how a lot democracy must be protected.
And I talked to a senior administration official, who advised me that the president basically approached that, due to January 6 and the problems with our personal democracy, with a mixture of willpower to enhance American democracy, and likewise a mixture of confidence that he may nonetheless be a pacesetter as a result of the USA, the officers right here see it as a beacon of hope nonetheless.
Then, once you add, after all, the opposite international coverage challenges, there’s Russia and China, two international locations that weren’t invited to the summit. Each of them have been vital of the summit.
The Chinese language Overseas Ministry launched an announcement and a stinging report on the state of America democracy, saying partly that this actually is a rustic that’s dominated by cash.
While you take a look at Russia, after all, following the assembly and — the decision, I ought to say, slightly, with President Putin and President Biden, Russian officers additionally criticized the summit. And in addition the president, after all, has stated that he issued a fairly stinging assertion, a fairly simple assertion to President Putin, saying that if Russia have been to invade Ukraine, that there could be robust financial sanctions levied on that nation.
So these are simply a number of the international coverage challenges, together with, after all, the persevering with points with the implications of the Afghanistan withdrawal, that the president is dealing with.