ALL was going according to plan. President Joe Biden was projecting himself as the leader of the free world as he hosted a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) summit and then, in a moment, an embarrassing slip of the tongue.
With Biden struggling to convince many Americans that he remains fit for office, Nato leaders have been offering him votes of confidence, however delicately, at least in part out of fear of another Donald Trump presidency.
Biden was closing out Nato's three-day 75th anniversary summit in Washington, vowing forcefully, "Ukraine will prevail" against Russian President Vladimir Putin and hailing the courage of Ukraine's iconic wartime leader, Voldymyr Zelensky.
Turning to Zelensky in his war fatigues, Biden said, "Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin."
Biden quickly corrected himself and Zelensky, a former comedian, promptly made light of the gaffe, saying, "I am better than Putin."
But the momentary lapse quickly revived memories of his debate two weeks earlier against Trump -- he had failed in his own task, to reassure the public he still had his wits.
Whether motivated by direct observation, fear of the return of Donald Trump or a simple reluctance to offend their host, no leaders openly questioned the competence of Biden, who at 81 is six years older than the alliance itself.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he spoke to Biden at length at a White House dinner for leaders.
"I saw as always a president who is in charge, clear on the issues he knows well," Macron said.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz similarly said that Biden "showed leadership for our common alliance."
"Slips of the tongue happen, and if you keep a close enough eye on everyone, you will find enough," Scholz said.
New UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that senility allegations against Biden were misguided and that the two allies covered wide ground for nearly one hour in the Oval Office, longer than expected.
"We did it at pace. He was on good form," Starmer, whose Labour Party last week swept out the Conservatives and has no love lost with Trump, told British media before the summit gaffe.
Polish President Andrzej Duda, who had forged close ties with Trump but has appreciated Biden's support for Ukraine, told reporters: "I talked with President Biden, and there is no doubt that everything is ok."
Finnish President Alexander Stubb, asked if he had concerns about the United States, said that in democracies there is "always turmoil before elections."
"I have absolutely no concern about the capacity of the current president of the United States to lead his country and to lead our fight for Ukraine and to lead Nato," he said.
"The only thing I'm worried about is that the political climate in the United States right now is too toxic, is very polarized, and that doesn't leave enough room for a civilized and constructive debate" on policy, he told reporters.
Many Nato leaders privately fear a victory in November of Trump, who has loudly criticized the alliance, with its promise of collective defense, as an unfair burden to the United States.
Trump aides have mused about conditioning aid to Ukraine to force Kyiv to surrender territory and make a quick deal to end the war, which they call a distraction from a larger challenge of China.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, while saying she would not comment on the US election, stressed that the United States and Europe would remain united no matter who wins the election.
"You saved us once," she said of the United States. "Please stick to that way of working."
One discordant voice in Nato has been Hungary's populist prime minister Viktor Orban.
He traveled to Russia and China, as well as Ukraine, before the Nato summit and, after it is over, was heading to Florida to see Trump.
* The writer is from AFP