Analysis by James Matthews, correspondent in the United States
It was a big test for Biden, but he really blew it before he started.
A couple of hours before taking the stage, the president had a “Putin” moment: he mistakenly introduced Ukrainian President Zelenskyy as “President Putin.”
That was the blunder of the day.
Biden may have chaired a successful NATO conference, but it was a fantastic moment to define his performance for the screen-passing generation he needs at his side.
Joe Biden spoke about economics, foreign policy and “internal division” when presenting his record.
His difficulty, at this point, is an audience that cannot hear a single sentence because of the anticipation of what he will say next.
He was asked about Kamala Harris and mistakenly called her “Vice President Trump.”
Like Putin’s blunder, it was a mistake anyone could make. If Biden himself had made it a couple of years ago, it would have gone unnoticed.
His problem now is that every sign of illness, big or small, feeds into an established narrative: one that tells the story of an old, stubborn president, coddled by a government machine that fails to hear a rising crescendo of concern for his mental health.
Throughout the hour-long press conference, he managed to remain calm.
As a politician talking about politics, he sounded as comfortable as can be at the age of 81. On the subject, he was blunt and concluded with the certainty that he was the “best qualified to govern and win.”
The uncertainty is: was it good enough?
Not for Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, who called for the president’s resignation within minutes of the news conference ending.
On the night of the big press conference, the big question now is: how many will follow?
