Though reeling from his disastrous debate performance and calls for him to step down, President Biden spoke at a black church service in Pennsylvania on Sunday and acknowledged that “the world is watching America.”
Speaking on stage at the Mount Airy Church of God in Christ in Northwest Philadelphia, the 81-year-old Biden laughed off concerns about his age, joking, “I know I look 40, but I’ve been doing this a long time.”
“Frankly, I’ve never been more optimistic about the future of America if we come together,” Biden said.
In his later speech, the President also mentioned the NATO summit to be held in Washington DC.
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President Biden spoke during a service at the Mount Airy Church of God in Christ on Sunday, July 7, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Senator)
“I’ll be hosting NATO nations in Washington. We’ll bring them together,” Biden said. “The world is counting on us. I’m not kidding. The world is counting on America to lead their hopes, not to carry their burdens.”
“When I first ran for president I said something fundamental: First of all, we have to restore dignity and hope to America,” the president concluded.
“Second, we’ve got to give working-class and middle-class people like me a chance and rebuild our economy from the bottom up, not the top down,” Biden said. “And third, we’ve got to bring America back together. That’s my goal and that’s what we’re going to do. God bless you all. And God bless our troops.”
Appearing on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg was asked whether Senator Lindsey Graham was accurate in expressing concerns that world leaders lacked confidence in Biden’s ability to do the job.
President Biden and Bishop Ernest C. Morris Sr. during a service at the Mount Airy Church of God in Christ, Sunday, July 7, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Senator)
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“I think it’s important that NATO doesn’t get involved in those domestic debates,” Stoltenberg said. “Of course it’s important for the US, but NATO shouldn’t get involved. What’s important for NATO is the decision, what do we do together? And for example, defense spending has been a big issue for the US for many years, under successive presidents. Ten years ago, when we committed to increasing defense spending, only three allies spent 2 percent of their GDP on defense. This year, it’s 23.”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks with President Biden during a meeting of the NATO Ukraine Council in Vilnius, Lithuania, July 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)
President Biden and NATO representatives are meeting in Washington this week to mark the 75th anniversary of the world’s largest security organization as Russia gains the upper hand on the battlefield in Ukraine.
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The three-day summit, which starts on Tuesday, will focus on how to assure Ukraine of NATO’s enduring support and give its war-weary people hope that they can weather Europe’s biggest land conflict in decades. NATO’s day-to-day operations are led by Stoltenberg, a former Norwegian prime minister, and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who steps down on Oct. 1, will take over as secretary-general.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
