“America is back on the global scene,” affirmed Charles Michel, president of the European Council, according to the Washington Post. “It’s great news for allies, also great news for the world.”

European leaders have welcomed President Joe Biden, a familiar face from his time as vice president, after having to deal with the the ill-tempered and ill-mannered Donald Trump.  As the Post put it:

For four years, Biden’s fellow transatlantic leaders had braced themselves each time President Donald Trump rolled into town, playing the role of the boorish American who arrives in Paris and is outraged to find he can’t get a Big Mac anywhere near his hotel, and they missed the more steady hand of previous U.S. presidents, both Democratic and Republican.

Biden has taken in their greetings eagerly and gracefully, anxious to show America’s European allies that the United States was ready to resume its leadership role on the world stage. 

While Trump repeatedly threatened to walk away from the NATO alliance because, he claimed falsely, members weren’t paying their fair share, he also sought to force Russia to be readmitted back to the G-7 even though it was expelled because of its invasion of Ukraine, among other malfeasance.

Biden, however, joined the group with his hand outstretched for handshakes, not a fist clenched in anger.  “I think it’s great to have the U.S. president part of the club and very willing to cooperate,” French President Emmanuel Macron said.