A increasing number of Democratic colleagues claim that President Joe Biden cannot defeat Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race, and Biden is battling for his political life.
During his first solo press conference since the June 27 debate, the beleaguered 81-year-old incumbent president continued to reject resigning the candidacy for almost an hour on Thursday.
“The fact is that the consideration is that I think I’m the most qualified person to run for president,” Biden stated. “I beat (Trump) once and will beat him again.”
Since he struggled on stage against Trump last month—the former president and likely GOP nominee—who pummeled his successor with a barrage of disparaging remarks and lies throughout their ninety-minute duel, Biden’s reelection campaign has become stuck in a rut.
Since then, Trump’s lead in polling for battleground states has increased.
These are the salient points from the news conference on Thursday.
Belief in Vice President Harris
First, a reporter asked about a sensitive topic plaguing Democrats lately: whether Biden’s refusal to withdraw from the race stems from a lack of confidence in Vice President Kamala Harris’s ability to defeat Trump in 2024.
That notion was rejected by Biden, who asserted that his vice president—a “hell of a prosecutor” in California—is prepared to take office right away. He said she had distinguished herself on reproductive rights and other matters.
“I wouldn’t have picked her unless I thought she was qualified to be president; from the beginning, I made no bones about that,” Biden stated.
According to recent polls, Harris surpasses Biden and sometimes even surpasses Trump.
When asked if he would change his mind if his staff produced evidence indicating the vice president was performing better, Biden stated, “No, unless they came back and said there’s no way you can win,” emphasizing that no one was making that claim. No survey indicates that.
Vice President Trump? Vladimir the President? Biden’s mistakes caused
During the press conference, Biden mistakenly called Harris “Vice President Trump” and failed to correct himself. This caught people’s attention.
The president had treated Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, in the same way, earlier in the day, referring to him as “President Putin,” the Russian leader who had invaded Ukraine, before Biden swiftly corrected him.
These gaffes will probably make Biden’s progressive supporters more anxious about his health, and conservative political opponents who have long painted Biden as weak will take advantage of them.
According to a recent survey of probable Black voters in battleground states, 70% of those who watched the presidential debate indicated it increased their likelihood of supporting Biden, suggesting that the tactic appears effective.
57% of Black voters who missed the debate said they were less inclined to support compared to 43% who said they were more likely.
After criticizing the “elites” in his party for doubting his suitability, Biden snapped, momentarily caulking the campaign’s openings.
However, other rifts raised questions about his candidacy: legislative allies, pals in the entertainment industry, and most Democratic voters, per a Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll released on Thursday.
When asked about the requests made by actor George Clooney and a few politicians for him to resign, Biden brushed them off.
Reports that he goes to bed earlier and ends his day at 8 p.m. were also denied by him. “That’s not true.”
“The idea that senators and congressmen running for office worry about the ticket is not unusual,” Biden said.
Throughout the one-hour press conference, Biden highlighted the declining rate of inflation, the nation’s historically high unemployment rate, attempts to fortify the border between the United States and Mexico, and his concerns regarding Project 2025, a comprehensive conservative plan developed by a think tank in Washington.
Concern at Trump’s comeback throughout the world
The two men’s divergent perspectives on NATO and America’s place in the world provide a startling contrast in the 2024 race.
As Republicans have adopted a more isolationist, MAGA-fueled worldview, Trump has on occasion threatened to virtually dissolve the U.S.-European military partnership.
Biden launched his press conference by criticizing his Republican opponent, Trump, for not agreeing to a NATO tenet that states that an attack on one member state is an attack on all of them.
When asked if the United States’ friends are afraid that Trump would win again, the president stated that Europe won’t be left on its own.
“(Trump) seems to have an affinity to people who are authoritarian,” Biden stated.
What altered?
In response, the oldest president in almost 250 years of American history discussed “the gravity of the situation” he inherited. Subsequently, Biden focused on the legislative achievements of his administration, attributing them to his tenure in the Senate.
“I have to get this job done. I have to get this job done,” he remarked. “Because there’s so much at stake.”
It remains to be seen if Biden’s performance on Thursday will calm anxious Democrats.
Reps. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) and Scott Peters (D-Calif.) demanded that Biden withdraw from the 2024 contest in remarks they released right after the press conference concluded.
Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, described Biden as a “remarkable leader of unparalleled public service.” However, the eight-term congressman expressed his hope that the president “will step away” from the campaign.
