President Joe Biden is fighting for his political life as a growing number of Democrats say he cannot beat President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
The embattled 81-year-old incumbent president held his first solo news conference since the June 27 debate on Thursday and spent nearly an hour denying any plans to give up the nomination.
“The fact is, I believe I am the best qualified person to run for president,” Biden said. “I beat him once and I’m going to win again.”
Biden’s reelection campaign has been in a quagmire since he stumbled onstage last month during a fiery 90-minute battle with former President Trump, the Republican front-runner who bombarded his successor with a range of attacks and numerous falsehoods.
Since then, Trump has been leading in polls in battleground states.
Meanwhile, Biden and Democrats are locked in a fierce intraparty dispute over his age, ability and chances of winning with less than 120 days to go until the election.
Key takeaways from Thursday’s press conference include:
Confidence in Vice President Harris
The reporter’s first question touched on a sensitive issue that has vexed Democrats in recent days: whether Biden’s reluctance to drop out of the race has to do with a lack of confidence that Vice President Kamala Harris can beat Trump in 2024.
Biden rejected that premise, saying the vice president, who he called California’s “best prosecutor,” is ready to do the job on Day 1. He said she has an outstanding record on reproductive rights and other issues.
“I wouldn’t have selected her if I didn’t believe she was qualified to be president. I made no secret of that from the beginning,” Biden said.
Recent polls have shown Harris outperforming Biden and, in some cases, Trump. Asked if he would reconsider if his team presented data showing the vice president was better, Biden said, “I wouldn’t reconsider unless they came back and said Harris can’t win,” adding, “Nobody’s saying that. No poll is saying that.”
Trump? Putin? Biden’s gaffes grow
One moment that caught people’s attention at the press conference was when Biden mistakenly referred to Harris as “Vice President Trump” without correcting himself.
The same day, the president made similar remarks about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, calling him “President Putin, the leader of Russia who has invaded Ukraine,” though Biden quickly corrected himself.
Such gaffes are likely to make progressive voters even more worried about his condition and will invite attacks from political opponents on the right who have long portrayed Biden as weak.
The strategy appears to be working: A recent survey found that among black voters in battleground states, 70% of those who watched the presidential debates said they were more likely to support Biden as a result.
Among black voters who didn’t watch the debate, 57% said they were less likely to support him, while 43% said they were more likely to support him.
Clooney goes to bed at 8pm: Biden denies report
Biden has railed against “elites” within his party who have questioned his eligibility, briefly causing a crack in the dam of his campaign.
But a Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll released Thursday revealed further fissures casting doubt on his candidacy: among celebrity friends, allies in Congress and a majority of Democratic voters.
Asked about calls from actor George Clooney and several lawmakers for him to resign, Biden downplayed those calls and also denied reports that he goes to bed early and ends his day at 8 p.m., saying “that’s not true.”
“It’s not unusual for senators and representatives running for office to be concerned about their nominees,” Biden added.
Biden spent much of the hour-long news conference drawing attention to concerns about falling inflation, the country’s historic unemployment rate, efforts to secure the U.S.-Mexico border and “Project 2025,” a sweeping maintenance plan developed by a Washington-based think tank.
International anxiety over Trump’s return
One international reporter focused again on the summit and the world stage, which convened leaders of allied nations in Washington DC at a critical time in global affairs.
A stark contrast in the 2024 election will be their differing views on NATO and America’s role in the world.
As the Republican Party strengthens its isolationist, MAGA-backed worldview, President Trump regularly threatens to essentially dismantle the U.S.-European military alliance.
Biden began his press conference by blasting his Republican rival, saying Trump was refusing to abide by a provision in NATO that says an attack on one member state is an attack on all.
Asked whether Europe would be isolated if President Trump returned to power, the president said America’s allies feared his predecessor’s victory.
“(Trump) seems to have an affinity for authoritarian people,” Biden said.
Passing the baton? Biden denies age concerns
Near the end of the press conference, Biden recalled how he spent his 2020 campaign promising to build bridges with the younger generation of Democrats.
What has changed?
The oldest president in the nation’s nearly 250-year history spoke out against the “gravitas of the situation” he inherited. Biden then highlighted his administration’s legislative accomplishments and praised his work as a senator.
“We’ve got to get this job done. We’ve got to get this job done,” he said, “because so much is at stake.”
It remains to be seen whether Biden’s performance on Thursday will be enough to silence nervous Democrats.
Reps. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) and Scott Peters (D-Calif.) issued statements shortly after the press conference ended calling on Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.
Rep. Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said Biden is “an incredible leader with unparalleled public service,” but the eight-term senator said he still wants the president to “step back” from the campaign trail.
