Leland Vittert’s War Notes: Biden Wanders — What Do World Leaders See?

NewsNation Chief Washington Anchor and On Balance host Leland Vittert was a foreign correspondent for four years in Jerusalem. He gives you an early look at tonight’s 7 p.m. ET show. Subscribe to War Notes here.  

What Has to Happen?

If wandering off during a talk with world leaders or getting confused during a press conference with the Ukrainian president doesn’t convince Democrats to replace President Joe Biden on the ticket, what will?

• Maybe we in the media are overstating the stakes for the June 27 debate. 

Biden’s second trip abroad in as many weeks leaves us wishing for an American president who leads the world.

• This isn’t partisan. Kennedy, Reagan, Bush (both of them), Clinton, Obama and Trump attended NATO conferences, G7 meetings, D-Day memorials and summits as the leader of the free world.
  • You could see the deference and respect of other leaders. 
• Biden appears in photo-ops and as he speaks intentionally puts America on par with other countries and is treated as such.
  • His language speaks of America as a partner, not a leader. 
  • To be fair: Biden spent his career in the Senate as a partner, never a leader. 

Watch tonight: Amb. John Bolton will talk about what the world sees when they watch Biden. 

Who Will Save the Jews … if Not the Jews

A group of keffiyeh-clad pro-Hamas types yelled in a New York subway car, “Raise your hands if you’re a Zionist. This is your chance to get out.”  

It got little, if any, attention from the New York media, much less the national media. 

Keffiyehs vs. white robes: One could imagine a different reaction from the national media if people in white hoods shouted, “Raise your hands if you’re a n*****. This is your chance to get out.”  

• It would lead every newscast for days.
• Kamala Harris would go ride the New York subway.
• The FBI would investigate to figure out whatever group was behind it.
• Social media sleuths would “dox” the perpetrators long before the FBI would figure it out. 
• Boycotts and marches would begin. 
• All of which would be the CORRECT reaction. 

New standard: If it’s the Jews, it’s not news. 

This isn’t about the hypocrisy in the media or the White House, which put out a pathetic paper statement from deputy press secretary Andrew Bates about the protest that occurred before the subway incident.  

This is about “the Jews.” 

Full disclosure: As I said many times in the Middle East, the Jews don’t claim me, but the Arabs (and Hitler) still hate me. I am half-Jewish, but the wrong half. 

“Never again” also means never again will Jews go silently or stay silent to get along.

• Yet there has been NO mass boycott of paying tuition by Jewish students at universities that allow pro-Hamas demonstrations 
• NO mass threats to withdraw money from financial institutions that do business with Qatar 
• NO mass public withdrawals of political contributions from politicians who play the “condemn hate of all kind game” when asked about the rise of antisemitism across America 
• NO pressure on American corporations to stop hiring students from schools that allow antisemitism 
• NO mass pressure against liberals who donate to terrorist-adjacent organizing groups 
• NO mass pressure to replace prosecutors and mayors who refuse to investigate and arrest after pro-Hamas marches 
• NO demands to fire Biden campaign officials who defend the right of “protesters” to call for the end of the state of Israel
  • Let me help you, Adrienne Elrod … yes, it’s their right. The KKK has a right to march as well. However, you should add that it’s despicable, and the president strongly condemns them, but you won’t because you either kind of agree or need their votes. 

History repeats: Jews in Austria and Germany believed the Nazis would never follow through with their plans because the Jews’ aristocratic, educated, upper-class friends would protect them from the rise of antisemitism.

Quiet part out loud: For a lot of American Jews, getting invited to garden parties in Nantucket by progressive liberal friends is way more important than standing up to the rise of hate and violence. 

• Shorter version: It’s more important to be liberal than Jewish.

The GOAT

Tom Brady earned his right to talk about what it takes to succeed, to win, to be the best in a demanding environment.

In his speech at the Patriots Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, he said, “To be successful at anything, the truth is you don’t have to be special. You just have to be what most people aren’t: consistent, determined and willing to work for it.”

His message was as simple as it was timeless. 

There was nothing about participation trophies,, and he didn’t say everybody is special or that you should accept just “your best” or that mediocrity should be celebrated. 

That’s not to say we shouldn’t be understanding of people with challenges, but it is to say that since time began, winning takes brutally hard work, demanding standards, luck and perseverance.

Many cultures, like the Chinese, tell their kids that. It’s unclear why it’s now uncommon in America to say such things. 

Brady’s speech isn’t much different than Roger Federer’s Dartmouth commencement address — you can see it here. 

We had a great segment with Patrick McEnroe about Roger Federer’s Dartmouth commencement address. Click here to watch us discuss it, including the story of Roger’s day as a ball boy. 

Did Any Republican in Congress Have the Courage to Tell Trump to Stop Being Crazy?

Former President Donald Trump showed up to Capitol Hill for a fawning meeting of unity with House and Senate Republicans. 

• It ended with Trump talking, as always, talking about how much unity Republicans have. 

Newsflash: You need more than unity to win.

• You need people smarter than you surrounding you. 
• You need to listen to those people. 

Watch tonight: Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., will talk about whether any congressional Republicans had the courage to tell Trump to stop saying stupid stuff.

As predicted: CNN fact-checked Trump by using the same FBI crime stats showing crime down we debunked last night. 

Go deeper: George Will will be on tonight to discuss the shift of younger voters to Trump on issues they care about. From a Noah Rothschild story in Axios’ morning newsletter, “Trump singled out a new constituency this week by vowing to get rid of tip taxation. The comments, made at a Las Vegas rally, may have been targeted at career service-industry workers — and Latinos in particular. But young restaurant and bar workers nationwide might take notice.”

Tune into “On Balance with Leland Vittert” weeknights at 7/6C on NewsNation. Find your channel here. 

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of NewsNation.