Democrats worry Biden’s press conference will put party in ‘sin’: Analysis

President Joe Biden’s much-anticipated press conference was better than his debate. It wasn’t a masterclass, either. And Democrats are worried they’re right back where they started before he spoke Thursday night.

Biden’s remarks included a vigorous defense of his record and a detailed description of his foreign policy, as well as eyebrow-raising gaffes, including a mix-up of the names of his vice president and his opponent. That left the takeaways from Democrats’ press conference unclear as the party remains reeling from last month’s debate, when Biden’s vague answers sparked a tense debate about replacing him on the 2024 ballot.

“This is not a great win. It’s not a disaster, but it also doesn’t prove that he can go out and campaign and win. It doesn’t end the debate and it doesn’t change polling. If I’m a member of Congress or a donor, I’m not going to be inspired by this, so the issues he had before the press conference remain,” said one former House Democratic aide.

“This is the worst-case scenario — it doesn’t change the dynamics, and that was the goal,” the person added. “We’re still stuck in hell.”

Biden began his press conference by praising this week’s NATO summit, saying the alliance has “not only grown stronger” but “larger” under his leadership, and also took a dig at former President Donald Trump’s skepticism toward the alliance.

During the event’s question-and-answer session he asked a reporter, “Have you ever seen a more successful conference?”

He was able to mingle with reporters in the crowd on topics such as Russia’s war in Ukraine and the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, leading his defenders to speak proudly about his understanding of complex issues. He also dismissed questions about his mental fitness and defended his decision to stay in the race, saying, “We have to get this job done because there’s a lot at stake.”

“It absolutely should,” Democratic strategist Karen Finney said when asked if the appearance would assuage concerns. “He answered the tough questions, gave detailed and substantive answers, and spoke openly about the concerns that were raised.”

“I think he has convinced a lot of people that he should stay in the race,” Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, said on CNN Thursday night, days after he told reporters that Democrats were “not reading from the same book” about the president’s chances this November.

However, other moments also raised concerns.

At the end of the summit, Biden mistakenly called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “President Putin” — referring to Vladimir Putin, the Russian president who invaded Ukraine. And at the start of the question-and-answer session, he mistakenly called Vice President Kamala Harris “Vice President Trump,” a comment that spread quickly on social media and infuriated Democrats.

“It was worse than I thought it would be,” one Democratic pollster said. “It was over the moment he said, ‘Vice President Trump.’”

The man added: “I don’t think he will be able to cope with what is coming.”

While there wasn’t a flood of new calls for Biden to drop out, he did receive a setback in the form of Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, who released a statement as soon as the press conference ended — underscoring that some Democrats had already made up their minds before the press conference began.

“It has been the honor of my career to work with him on the accomplishments that secure his remarkable legacy in American history,” Himes said in a statement. He cited health care reform, infrastructure funding and gun safety measures and praised Biden’s “unconditional patriotism.”

“Because of those qualities, and with that legacy in mind, I hope President Biden will step away from a presidential campaign.”

Reps. Scott Peters, D-Calif., and Eric Sorensen, D-Illinois, also released statements at the same time calling on Biden to withdraw from the election.

Overall, this press conference seems unlikely to have any impact on the Democratic political class, as it has not seen enough yet to make it go all out to remove Biden or stand fully behind him.

“Nobody made any major mistakes. His economic vision was clear. But we’ll still wait and see because nothing has changed,” said James Zogby, a senior member of the Democratic National Committee.

Biden’s campaign has tried hard to change that dynamic since the disastrous debate.

There was consensus that a more forceful approach was necessary — more trips and more unexpected moments would be needed to assuage concerns over Biden’s age and his electability.

The campaign sent him to Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and asked him to sit down with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News (and, this coming Monday, Lester Holt of NBC News), and the president himself sent a strongly worded letter to House Democrats on Tuesday about his intention to stay in the race. But Democrats are still here. “It’s the George interview all over again,” one Democratic strategist said of the press conference, referring to the interview with Stephanopoulos that was considered enough to allow Biden to stick around, but not enough to calm the storm surrounding him.

Discussions are expected to continue among Democrats on Capitol Hill about how close to Biden to remain, if that is the case. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., on Thursday praised the “frank, frank and comprehensive” conversations among lawmakers, saying he would “respect the sanctity of those conversations until we complete that process.”

The conclusion of that process, however, is nowhere in sight.

“This was, in many ways, the worst-case scenario for Democrats,” one battleground Democratic strategist told ABC News on Thursday. “The president and his team will look at this as a huge success, while everybody else will look at this as just another example of how he is way past his prime to win.”