© UnknownUS President Joe Biden at G7 Conference in Cornwall, England
U.S. President Joe Biden brought a sharply different tone to the Group of Seven summit from his predecessor Donald Trump by allowing frank and collaborative discussion of global issues
without sowing disruptive chaos, a source with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters:
"It used to be complete chaos. Before, we were on edge the entire, the whole time just trying to keep the G7 intact - and you don't have to worry about that now. You can have a frank discussion without having to start it off by saying: 'No. Russia is not going to come back into the G7,'"
The United States is back as a cooperative leader of the free world under Biden, France's Emmanuel Macron said earlier on Saturday, illustrating the relief felt by many key U.S. allies that the tumult of Trump's presidency is over.
Macron's remark echoed that of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson who hailed Biden on Thursday as "a big breath of fresh air".
Neither Macron nor Johnson drew an explicit parallel between Biden and Trump, though both praised Biden's distinctly cooperative tone and officials said there was relief after Trump at times shocked and bewildered many European allies.
Comment: Where's Joe?
Biden gets lost at the G7 summit:
© Reuters/Kevin LamarqueUS President Joe Biden at Cornwall Airport, Britain
June 13, 2021
US President Joe Biden was seen wandering around a cafe in Cornwall, England, before his wife stepped in and led him away. Conservatives, who have long questioned Biden's mental acuity, called the video "painful to watch."
Video footage posted online on Friday, but largely ignored by the mainstream media, shows Biden wandering slowly onto a cafe terrace. Someone on the terrace, most likely an ITV journalist, asks "How are your meetings going in Cornwall?" Biden then freezes, flashes a thumbs-up, and replies "Very good."
First Lady Jill Biden then steps in and beckons her husband toward her, before leading him away by the hand as diners laugh out loud.
Biden's demeanor and apparent confusion raised eyebrows online, particularly among American conservatives, who have claimed since last year's campaign that Biden was showing signs of cognitive decline. Video footage of Biden's verbal gaffes and blunders since becoming president - like forgetting the names of his own officials and losing his train of thought at his single solo press conference - have only lent weight to their claims.
"This is really painful to watch," conservative journalist Kyle Becker tweeted.
Biden's supposed "senior moment" wasn't the aging Democrat's only blunder at the weekend-long G7 summit in Cornwall. News footage on Saturday showed British Prime Minister Boris Johnson correcting Biden, after Biden introduced the president of South Africa after Johnson had already done so. The video then shows Johnson apparently attempting to stop Biden talking to the group of world leaders at a meeting.
Comment: Where's Joe? Biden gets lost at the G7 summit: