first event in a week of meetings with allies all of that before a summit with russian president vladimir putin. this trip was always going to be one of the big milestones that the new biden presidency, first trip abod by the president after the president who saw zero value in our friends and allies and delighted in pandering to the dictator. this is a moment of strength. president biden rolling out the world s most effective and well funded vaccination program and turning the urs from the world s pandemic hot spot to a vaccine success story. president biden can also tout rapid economic growth ahead at home. but it also comes at a perilous moment for our democracy. something he spoke of at length here. the challenges abroad in confronting russia and aggressive china are exacerbated by the anti-democratic moves of the republican party at home.