US President Joe Biden addresses the NATO Summit, Washington, D.C., July 9, 2024 (Yves Herman/Reuters)

---

I joined Pakistan’s PTV World on Tuesday for a 35-minute discussion of Joe Biden, the state of the US, and its significance for the world from Ukraine to the Middle East.

I start with the latest on whether Biden should continue to campaign in the US Presidential election, at the risk of letting Donald Trump back into the White House.

If this was a “normal” election, I think the convictions of Trump would have an impact, especially on independent voters and on women voters.

But because the oxygen is being sucked out of the room over the issue of Joe Biden’s state of mind — and because no one is focusing on Donald Trump’s state of mind or his conviction — then I think Trump will get away with this unless Biden steps aside.

,/p>

Then I explain the stakes in Ukraine amid the invasion of Trump’s friend Vladimir Putin, and in a Middle East where there is no immediate prospect of an end to mass killing in Gaza.

I conclude with the consideration of what steps other countries need to make in preparation for the disruption and damage of a Trump Administration.