Polish official warns about poor succession, fall of Roman Empire after debate

Poland’s foreign minister appeared to take a shot at President Biden early Friday with a tweet highlighting the fall of the Roman Empire.

“It’s important to manage one’s ride into the sunset,” Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski wrote on X.

He accompanied the advice with a reference to Marcus Aurelius, saying he “screwed up his succession” by “passing the baton to his feckless son Commodus.”

Marcus Aurelius was a great emperor but he screwed up his succession by passing the baton to his feckless son Commodus (He, from the Gladiator).
Whose disastrous rule started Rome’s decline.
It’s important to manage one’s ride into the sunset.

— Radosław Sikorski 🇵🇱🇪🇺 (@sikorskiradek) June 28, 2024

Mr. Sikorski said the transition led to the fall of the empire.

While cryptic, the post seemed to be a clear shot at Mr. Biden’s raspy and halting performance on the debate stage against former President Donald Trump late Thursday. The Democratic incumbent lost his trail of thought and struggled to deliver lines.

The display sent a shiver of panic through Democrat circles, and foreign allies will be trying to digest whether the debate signals a Trump victory in November.

After the debate, Mr. Biden insisted he “did well” but said he had a sore throat. Democrats also complained about Mr. Trump’s tendency to lie without pushback from moderators, such as downplaying the size of the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol or stating Democrats support abortion “after birth” even though infanticide is illegal in all states.

Mr. Biden misstated facts, too, such as saying he put a $15 cap on insulin costs when it is $35.

Foreign media saw Mr. Biden’s performance as shaky, though criticized both men.

The Times of India ran a headline, saying: “‘We are f***ed:’ Democrats in full-blown panic over Joe Biden’s debate performance.”

ZDF, a German broadcaster, was more charitable toward the president, reporting: “Trump had the better start, Biden didn’t seem very agile at first, sounded hoarse, and faltered. But he pulled himself together as the debate progressed.”

The China Global Television Network reported that “Biden started hesitantly and Trump answered steadily in a halting clash that featured repeated accusations of lying.”

Mr. Sikorski, meanwhile, has a history of bold tweets. He posted, “Thank You, USA,” after the Russian NordStream pipeline was damaged in September 2022 — a suggestion the Americans caused it. He later deleted the post.