Joe Biden is sleepwalking through history – and destroying the special relationship

Joe Biden inherited a gift. That gift was the Special Relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom which had been cultivated and nurtured by presidents, Kings, prime ministers, and Queens who had gone before him. 

Joe Biden does not own that gift but is a temporary caretaker for it – with the expectation that he will pass it on in as good a condition as he received it, if not better. But rather than caring for it as a precious inheritance to be treated conscientiously with respect and gratitude, it is as if he has stuffed it in his pocket with used tissues and forgotten about it.

The erosion of this Special Relationship has shown itself in many ways - his being late to the Queen’s funeral, skipping the King’s Coronation altogether, and making derogatory comments about the UK and the British people as he touts his Irish heritage. Most recently, his latest pitstop through London on his way to the NATO Summit in Lithuania wasn’t planned with even enough advance notice for a state dinner to be hosted.  

Instead, there was a review of the troops, a meeting with the prime minister, and tea with the newly-coronated King. Joe Biden can now check that UK box and move on.

Yet we all know that a relationship like this takes intention. It takes authenticity, transparency, and priority. President Biden has given no indication of interest in furthering and deepening this relationship but seems content to give it the minimum amount of effort. Whether Joe Biden is unaware or trying intentionally to be insulting is hard to judge, but he does not seem to prioritize it.

He has shown no interest in a robust post-Brexit trade deal. On several occasions, he has called Prime Minister Rishi Sunak by the wrong name – Rashid, Rashi, and Sanuk. Not exactly the mark of closeness. And unaware of, or not caring about British protocols, Joe Biden grabbed King Charles by the arm, put his hand on his back, walked in front of him, and even spoke to a Welsh Guard while he was reviewing the troops. 

Remember, this is not a political novice, but someone who has been in the public eye and served at the highest levels of government for nearly 50 years. There is no excuse for this – it is either intentional or careless.  Neither is good.

Of course, there is perhaps another reason which could explain this lack of respect, which is more troubling even than the other potential explanations. And that is that Joe Biden does not give thought to the UK and the Special Relationship because he no longer has the capacity to give thought to much of anything.

Perhaps the UK is not an afterthought but isn’t even thought of at all.  

In fact, it seems there is very little on the mind of Joe Biden these days.  His vacant stares, his incapacity to drag a beach chair across the sand, his inability to control his temper when asked a question he doesn’t like, his inaccessibility to the press and to the public, his missteps upstairs, his falls on stage and on bikes, insisting he only has six grandchildren when everyone knows he has seven, and his lack of awareness about where he is, where he is going, and what he is supposed to do next.  Joe Biden is completely lost.

As we watch the rapid decline of Joe Biden happen before our very eyes, it is not only tragic and sad – it is dangerous. The world sees it too. Our enemies laugh and plot their advances. Our allies are terrified that the leader of the free world seems to have no capacity to make big decisions, or even make it through a day without a stumble.

And sometimes he cannot even make it through a full day – like skipping the opening dinner at the NATO summit – for the third time.

Joe Biden’s schedule is not vigorous, his weekends are spent in Delaware or away from the White House, not engaging in work, but resting up for another light week of minimal work once he returns to Washington. He says he is running for president again but has barely held a campaign event. He says his campaign strategy is for us to watch him being President. We are. And it is worrisome.

The good news in all of this is that a relationship that has been neglected can also eventually be salvaged. Joe Biden’s lack of attention to the Special Relationship is not reflective of how the American people feel about this relationship. Once we have a new leader in the White House who has the cognitive capacity to think about and care about the duties of office with full focus, they will once again return to placing importance and priority on this longtime friendship - returning it to its place of significance and permanence, worthy of the legacies of Reagan and Thatcher, FDR and Churchill, and Her late Majesty the Queen.  

Americans hope our friends across the pond will be patient – and forgiving.

Peggy Grande was executive assistant to Ronald Reagan and is author of “The President Will See You Now.”  She was Chair of World for Brexit and served as a political appointee in the Trump Administration. Peggy serves on the Board of Pepperdine School of Public Policy, and the Board of The Center for American Ideas.