President Joe Biden delivered a defiant performance during a crucial press conference at the close of the NATO Summit in Washington DC on Thursday.
The President answered questions for approximately 45 minutes on a variety of topics, although several questions focused on the President’s mental and physical abilities.
Biden, 81, remained steadfast in his commitment to stay in the race and defeat former President Donald Trump.
“I believe I’m the most qualified person to run for president. I’ve beaten him once and I’ll beat him again,” Biden said. “I’ve got to finish this job. I’ve got to finish this job because the stakes are too high.”
Several lower-bench Democrats have called on Biden to step away from the party’s nomination, with Reps. Scott Peters (California), Eric Sorensen (Illinois) and Jim Himes (Conn.) joining the chorus after the press conference.
Biden gave some unclear answers and made one notable slip-up that may not ease the fears of nervous party operatives.
Hupke:How did Biden do? Sure, the press conference went well. BUT NOW HE HAS TO DO 100 PUSH-UPS!
Biden downplays earlier meeting with Zelensky
Biden ignored a question about calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “President Putin” earlier in the day.
“Did you see any damage?” Biden asked in response to a question about whether the president’s age had damaged the country’s standing on the world stage. “This was the most successful conference I’ve been to in a long time.”
During Zelensky’s presentation, Biden realized his mistake and said: “President Putin, we are going to defeat President Putin. President Zelensky, I am fully focused on defeating Putin.”
Biden touted his success in marshaling NATO and the intelligence community to repel the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine that attempted to seize the country’s capital.
“Today, kyiv still stands. And NATO is stronger than ever,” Biden said.
Biden confuses vice president with Trump
Biden mistakenly called Vice President Kamala Harris “Trump” during a question about whether the vice president could beat the former president if she took over as head of the ticket.
“Look, I would not have chosen Vice President Trump as my resident vice president if she was not qualified to be president,” he said.
Biden would later praise Harris’ work on abortion rights and emphasize her ability to take over the presidency if necessary.
Trump seized on the gaffe on Truth Social, the social media platform he owns. “Crooked Joe begins his ‘Big Boy’ press conference by saying, ‘I would not have chosen Vice President Trump to be Vice President, even though I believe she was not qualified to be President.’ Good job Joe!” Trump wrote.
Biden is unclear about the military response
Biden was unclear about who in the military he was consulting with during a question about arms supplies to Ukraine.
“I’m taking the advice of my commander in chief, the chief of staff of the Army, as well as the secretary of defense and our intelligence staff,” Biden said. “And we’re deciding on a day-to-day basis how far they should go.”
The president is the commander in chief. Biden did not clarify who he was referring to.
