ANALYSIS – President Joe Biden stumbled Thursday during a crucial test that could help determine his political future, making more embarrassing verbal gaffes under the brightest lights.
In an unscheduled news conference that lasted just over an hour following a three-day summit with leaders of NATO nations, Biden seemingly shrugged off calls from fellow Democrats for him to drop out of the race against Donald Trump — though one prominent House member did so just moments after he left the stage.
But his latest verbal blunder during a decidedly high-stakes press conference did little to quell further questions about the 81-year-old’s ability to run, win and serve for four years, questions that arose when Biden failed to complete sentences several times during the June 27 debate.
Before Biden — who has long considered himself a fighter — had a chance to confront reporters, he made his second major gaffe of the evening when he referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump.” The mistake occurred during his first question answer of the twice-delayed evening session.
He was asked if he was concerned about whether Harris would be able to beat the expected GOP nominee if Biden withdraws, should she become the Democratic Party’s nominee. At an event during the NATO summit in Washington, he made another mistake. “Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin,” he said while introducing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Biden quickly caught his mistake: “No, we’re going to beat Putin. … I’m very focused on beating Putin.”
Biden also misreported economic data during his tenure — about high inflation and debt levels. He referred to Asia as Europe, seemingly confusing an economic-themed trip to the other side of the world. And despite having already debated with Trump, he said the “campaign hasn’t even started in earnest yet.”
Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said after the event ended that Biden should “step down from the presidential campaign” because the party needs to “put forward the strongest candidate possible” to defeat Trump.
“I no longer believe that he is Joe Biden, and I hope that, as he has done throughout his lifetime of public service, he will continue to put our country first and, as promised, lead the way for a new generation of leaders,” Himes said in a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Democratic lawmakers had said he needed a strong press conference and summit to maintain their support for his re-election campaign. He passed that test all week, until the verbal missteps of “Putin” and “Trump,” which will undoubtedly further Democratic discontent — and which Trump promptly mocked.
This unprecedented and surreal scene took place in the former Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman’s happy place: the closing of the NATO summit in Washington.
“America cannot retreat from the world,” Biden said at the start of the press conference, using prepared remarks and a teleprompter to emphasize the importance of keeping NATO united and strong and taking a dig at Trump. “Meanwhile, my predecessor has made it clear there is no commitment to NATO. He’s made it clear he feels no obligation to honor Article 5. He’s already told (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, I quote, ‘Do whatever you like.'”
‘I am the most qualified’
Biden gave no indication he was considering withdrawing from the election. He described himself as “determined” to contest the election but acknowledged Democrats’ appeals that he should “set aside” concerns.
“I think I’m the most qualified. I beat him once and I’ll beat him again,” he told reporters, referring to Trump. “I’m not in this for my legacy. I’m in this to finish the job I started.”
When asked about his fitness, Biden cited jobs created and laws passed.
Assessing himself, Biden said: “Am I getting the job done?” To those worried he is slowing down, he said: “There’s no sign of that, absolutely none.”
Amid questions about his cognitive health, Biden said he has passed three neurological tests as president, and said his White House doctors have not suggested he needs another such exam.
In stark contrast to this debate, he has shown enthusiasm when talking about gun violence, pointing a finger at the fact that more children in the United States are killed by “bullets” each year than by any other means.
He shouted, “What are we doing?”, and then said Trump had promised not to take any steps to prevent gun violence.
Biden around 7:45 p.m. dismissed reports that he had told Democratic governors they would work less after 8 p.m., urging reporters to watch his nearly 20 public events since the debate. He also took a dig at Trump, saying his opponent is “filling out his scorecard before he even hits the ball,” a reference to Trump recently holding no public events for a week but being caught on cell phone video playing golf.
‘He deserves it’
The president defended Harris, speaking more clearly and coherently than he did during the debate against Trump, amid speculation that he did not believe Harris could defeat Trump and then become an effective commander in chief.
“He is qualified to be president,” he said. “I would not have chosen him unless I thought he was qualified to be president.”
Even before the news conference, the list of Democratic lawmakers calling on him to step down grew — Rep. Mary Gluesenkamp Perez even suggested he should resign — and senators who met with his campaign team said they needed to see more courage, stamina and clarity.
More than a dozen House Democrats and one senator have called on Biden to step aside from the campaign, and others have said vaguely that they hope he does the right thing for the sake of the country. But some have not proposed a process for what happens next, and the party has not united on a potential replacement nominee — though Harris is the most frequently mentioned.
At a campaign stop Thursday in Greensboro, North Carolina, a battleground state, Harris repeatedly praised Biden.
“One thing we know about our president, Joe Biden, is that he’s a fighter,” Harris said. “So we’ll keep fighting. And we’ll keep organizing. And, in November, we will win … because we know what’s at stake.” She also said Biden is “the only person in the world” who deserves credit for strengthening the transatlantic alliance.
Hours later, Biden praised his running mate for her advocacy on abortion following the Supreme Court decision that ended federal abortion rights — or, as Biden, a Catholic, said, “the freedom of women’s bodies.”
He said Harris is “a terrific prosecutor” and a strong senator from California who is capable of handling “almost any issue, at every level.”
But, notably, she never said she believed she could beat Trump.
‘That would be a disaster’
Biden appeared most comfortable when discussing Russia’s war in Ukraine, saying “I’m not ready to talk to Putin” because the Kremlin leader has shown “no inclination” to back down. But he said soon after that he would talk to “any” world leader.
“Putin has a problem,” Biden said, noting how many Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded. “If we allow Russia to succeed in Ukraine, they will not stop at Ukraine.”
During the summit on Wednesday, Biden said that “for 75 years, our nations have grown and prospered behind the shield of NATO. Today, we are stronger than ever.”
He said, “Since I took office…the number of allies spending at least 2 percent on defense has increased from nine to 23. This has not happened by chance, but by choice.”
He was referring to the pledge by all coalition members to devote 2 per cent of their GDP to defence.
Trump has for eight years called most other NATO countries “criminals,” suggesting they spend too little on their militaries. He has suggested he could ignore the organization’s mutual defense agreement unless they spend more. Former Trump aide Sebastian Gorka told Newsmax on Tuesday evening that other countries have only increased their spending as a result of pressure from Trump. Biden responded on Wednesday.
“For the first time, every NATO country is committing to developing plans for its own defence production. This means that as an alliance we will become more innovative and competitive,” he said. “And we will be able to build more critical defence equipment more quickly.”
Biden used a question about a possible Trump second term and Russia’s Ukraine war to take another jab at his potential general election rival.
“I don’t hear any of my European allies coming to me and saying, ‘Joe, don’t run,'” he said. “I hear them saying, ‘You have to win. You can’t let this guy get through. He’d be a disaster.'”
