European official appears to liken Biden to failed Roman emperor after disastrous debate performance

A top Polish official recently appeared to draw an unflattering comparison between President Biden’s Thursday debate performance and the decline of ancient Rome.

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski made the comment in an X post Friday. The statement was posted in English, which hinted it was intended for English-speaking audiences because Sikorski usually posts in Polish. 

In the X post, Sikorski took aim at Marcus Aurelius’s son, Commodus, whose reign marked the end of Pax Romana, an era of peace and prosperity in ancient Rome.

“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),” Sikorski wrote. “Whose disastrous rule started Rome’s decline.

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A Polish official referenced Roman emperor Commodus in a post that heavily hinted at President Biden’s dismal debate performance Thursday. (Getty Images)

“It’s important to manage one’s ride into the sunset.”

Biden’s recent debate performance has sparked commentary across the world, prompting increased concern about his advanced age and declining cognitive abilities.

Media publications in Russia, China, Iran and other countries all covered the debate and used it as an opportunity to criticize the U.S.

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Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski speaks during a joint press conference in Warsaw, Poland.  (Dominika Zarzycka/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Rebekah Koffler, a strategic military intelligence analyst and author of “Putin’s Playbook,” told Fox News Digital most foreign publications “are derogatory of both candidates and mocking America.”

“Bottom line, Moscow feels confident that the societal crisis that has engulfed the U.S. is good for Russia,” Koffler said.

Former President Trump and President Biden squared off in a high-stakes 2024 presidential debate rematch Thursday. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

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Fox News Digital reached out to Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for additional comment but did not immediately hear back.

Fox News Digital’s Peter Aitken contributed to this report.