“There’s still a lot of work that can be done, and I’m committed to getting it done,” Biden said. “We’ve got to get this job done. We’ve got to get this job done, because there’s so much at stake.”
Biden correctly points out that the stakes could hardly be higher. But what he refuses to acknowledge is that choosing to continue could also jeopardize everything he has accomplished so far.
The president’s nearly hour-long speech was anything but clear; his answers were incoherent and his voice weak. At one point, he mixed up the name of his running mate and the one many Democrats want to replace him as the presidential front-runner. “Look, I wouldn’t have picked President Trump as my vice president,” he said. [if] “I don’t think she’s fit to be president,” he said.
Still, it was far better than his performance two weeks ago in a debate with former President Donald Trump, a disastrous defeat that jeopardized his chances of becoming the Democratic Party’s standard-bearer and deepened concerns that, at 81, he may be too old and infirm to serve another four years in the job.
Biden was well-versed on the issues on Thursday night, and the timing of the unusual news conference at the end of a NATO summit that Biden chaired allowed him to showcase his familiarity and fluency with foreign policy.
Biden may have bought himself some time and leeway, but he did not quiet the debate within his party about whether he should drop his candidacy. Almost at the end of his remarks, Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, posted the following on social media: “The 2024 election will determine the future of American democracy, and we must field the strongest candidate possible to confront the threat of MAGA authoritarianism that Trump promises. I no longer believe that is Joe Biden. I hope that he will continue to put country first, as he has done throughout his career as a public servant, and make way for a new generation of leaders as he has promised.”
National polls aren’t a particularly helpful indicator at this delicate time: A new Post-ABC News/Ipsos poll finds Trump and Biden tied among registered voters at 46%, little changed from April, but a majority of Democrats (56%) say they want Biden to drop out.
What matters most now is pressure from Congress, where there are growing calls, especially from Democrats, for him to step down.
It did not bode well for Biden, at a NATO event about an hour before the press conference began, when he mistakenly referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin,” the leader of Russia, with whom the country is at war.
Biden quickly corrected himself: “He’s going to beat President Putin. … President Zelensky,” he said. “I’m focused on defeating Putin, so we have to worry about that.” Zelensky responded, “I’m better.”
Such gaffes would have gone unnoticed under normal circumstances, but in a speech where every word Biden uttered carried weight, that was the last thing he needed — and gave commentators something to think about as they waited for the president to appear, an hour late.
It’s worth noting that Trump is no stranger to verbal gaffes. During his primary battle with Nikki Haley, Trump appeared to confuse his former ambassador to the United Nations with former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Trump blamed Haley for the security blunders at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. At the time, Haley suggested Trump was experiencing a “decline” and questioned whether he was “mentally fit” for the presidency.
And it’s true that even at the height of his power, Mr. Biden was prone to gaffes. To his admirers, they were attractive evidence of his sincerity. But when it came to the question of whether he was fit to serve another four years in office, the gaffes were a red flag.
Biden spoke more candidly than ever about why the longest-serving president in history, a candidate who four years ago signaled he would serve as a bridge to the next generation of leadership, is determined to stay in office for another four years.
“What has changed is the gravity of the situation I inherited in terms of the economy, foreign policy and division at home,” Biden said.
“Age does bring a little wisdom, if you’re careful,” he added. A growing number of Democrats desperately hope that’s true.
