Washington DC: President Joe Biden promised to show the world that democracies can work to meet the challenges of the 21st century. As he prepares to push that message at a pair of global summits, his case could hinge on what's happening in Washington, where he is rushing to finalise a major domestic legislative package.
Headed first to Rome and then to Glasgow, Scotland, Biden will be pressed to deliver concrete ideas for stopping a global pandemic, boosting economic growth and halting the acceleration of climate change. Those stakes might seem a bit high for a pair of two-day gatherings attended by the global elite and their entourages. But it's written right into the slogan for the Group of 20 meeting in Rome: People, Planet, Prosperity.
Biden, who planned to deliver East Room remarks before leaving Washington on Thursday, has promised to align U.S. diplomacy with the interests of the middle class. This has tied any success abroad to his efforts to get Congress to advance his environmental, tax, infrastructure and social policies.
It could be harder to get the world to commit to his stated goals if Americans refuse to fully embrace them, one of the risks of Biden's choice to knit together his domestic and foreign policies.
Biden's trip abroad comes as he faces an increasingly pessimistic nation at home, and souring views of his handling of the nation's economy.
According to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, just 41% of Americans now approve of Biden's economic stewardship, down from 49% in August and a sharp reversal since March, when 60% approved.
Americans are split on Biden overall, with 48% approving and 51% disapproving of his handling of his job
as president.