John T. Bennett | CQ-Roll Call (TNS)
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Thursday stumbled during a key test that could help decide his political future, uttering more embarrassing verbal gaffes under the brightest of lights.
In an unscripted news conference that ran for more than an hour after a three-day conference with leaders of NATO countries, Biden likely prevented an avalanche of fellow Democrats from calling for him to exit the race against Donald Trump — though one prominent House member did just that moments after he left the stage.
But his latest verbal stumbles surely did little during the high-stakes news conference to eliminate further questions about the 81-year-old’s ability to run, win and serve another four years, questions that exploded after Biden at times could not finish sentences during a June 27 debate.
Before Biden — who long has hailed himself a fighter — had a chance to joust with reporters, he committed his second major gaffe of the evening, referring to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump.” The slipup came during his answer to the twice-delayed evening session’s first question.
He had been asked if he had concerns about whether Harris could defeat the expected GOP nominee, should she become the Democratic Party’s nominee if Biden stepped aside. At an event earlier during a NATO summit in Washington, he made another slip. “Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin,” he said as he introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Biden quickly caught his gaffe: “No, we’re going to beat Putin. … I’m so focused on beating Putin.”
U.S. President Joe Biden walks out to hold a news conference at the 2024 NATO Summit on Thursday, July 11, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images/TNS)
Biden also appeared to misstate economic data — about high inflation and debt levels — under his watch. He also referred to Asia as Europe, appearing to mix up an economic-themed trip on the other side of the globe. And despite having already debated former President Donald Trump, he said “the campaign hasn’t 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 away from the presidential campaign” because the party needs to “put forth the strongest candidate possible” to defeat Trump.
“I no longer believe that is Joe Biden, and I hope that, as he has throughout a lifetime of public service, he will continue to put our nation first and, as promised, make 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 news conference and summit for them to maintain their support for his reelection bid. He had mostly passed that test all week, until the “Putin” and “Trump” verbal missteps, which undoubtedly will fuel more Democratic discontent — and drew instant mocking from Trump.
The unprecedented and surreal scene came at a venue of comfort for the former Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair: the conclusion of a NATO summit in Washington.
“America cannot retreat from the world,” Biden said at the start of his news conference, using prepared remarks and a teleprompter to tout the importance of keeping NATO together and strong as he took jabs at Trump. “Meanwhile, my predecessor has made it clear, no commitment to NATO. He made it clear that he would feel no obligation to honor Article 5. He’s already told (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, I quote, ‘Do whatever the hell you like.’”
Biden gave no indication he is considering dropping out. He described himself as “determined” to run, but acknowledged Democrats’ calls that he must “allay” concerns.
“I think I’m the most qualified. I beat him once and I will beat him again,” he told reporters, referring to Trump. “I’m not in this for my legacy. I’m in it to finish the job I’ve started.”
Asked about his fitness, Biden cited jobs created and legislation passed.
“Am I getting the job done?” Biden said, describing how he judges himself. To those who worry he is slowing down, he said: “There’s no indication of that, none.”
Amid questions about his cognitive health, Biden said he has passed three neurological tests as president, adding that his White House doctors have not suggested he needs another such exam.
In one sharp contrast to the debate, he grew animated talking about gun violence, saying with a pointed finger that more children are killed annually by “a bullet” in the U.S. than by other means.
“What the hell are we doing?” he shouted, before saying that Trump had promised to take no steps to curb gun violence.
Biden dismissed — around 7:45 p.m. — reporting that he told Democratic governors he intended to do less after 8 p.m., urging reporters to look at his nearly 20 public events since the debate. He dinged Trump, saying his foe has been “filling out his scorecard, before he hits the ball,” a reference to Trump recently holding no public events for a week but being caught on mobile phone videos playing golf.
The president, speaking clearer and more coherently than during his debate against Trump, defended Harris amid speculation he lacked confidence she could beat Trump and then be an effective commander in chief.
“She’s qualified to be president,” he said. “I wouldn’t have picked her unless I thought she was qualified to be president.”
The list of Democratic lawmakers calling for him to step aside grew before the news conference — Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez even appeared to suggest he should resign — and senators who huddled with his campaign team said they need to see more gumption, stamina and clarity.
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More than a dozen House Democrats and one senator have called for Biden to step aside from the campaign and others have vaguely said they hope he does the right thing for the sake of the country. But few have proposed a process for what would happen next, and the party has not coalesced around a potential replacement nominee — though Harris is most often mentioned.
At a campaign stop earlier Thursday in Greensboro, North Carolina, a battleground state, Harris repeatedly praised Biden.
“One thing we know about our president, Joe Biden, is that he is a fighter,” Harris said. “So we will continue to fight. And we will continue to organize. And, in November, we will win … because we know what is at stake.” She also said Biden is the “one person in the world” who deserves credit for bolstering the transatlantic alliance.
Hours later, Biden praised his running mate for her advocacy on abortion following the Supreme Court’s decision ending federal abortion rights — or, as the Catholic Biden put it, “freedom of women’s bodies.”
He contended Harris was “a hell of a prosecutor” and was a strong senator from California who was capable of handling “almost any issue, across the board.”
But, notably, he never said he believes she could defeat Trump.
Biden appeared at his most comfortable when discussing Russia’s war in Ukraine, declaring “I’m not ready to talk to Putin” because the Kremlin leader has not shown “any inclination” to back down. But he soon after said he would talk to “any” world leader.
“Putin’s got a problem,” Biden said, noting how many Russian troops have been killed or wounded. “If we allow Russia to succeed in Ukraine, they’re not stopping at Ukraine.”
On Wednesday during the summit, Biden said that “for 75 years, our nations have grown and prospered behind the NATO shield. Today, we’re stronger than we’ve ever been.”
“Since I took office … the number of allies spending at least 2% on defense has gone from nine to 23. That’s not happened by chance but by choice,” he said.
He was referring to a pledge by all alliance members to devote 2% of their respective gross domestic products to defense.
Trump has spent eight years calling most other NATO countries “delinquent,” suggesting they spend too little on their own militaries. He has suggested, unless they spend more, he may ignore the organization’s mutual defense pact. Sebastian Gorka, a former Trump aide, told Newsmax Tuesday evening that the other countries only upped their spending as a result of pressure from Trump. Biden countered on Wednesday.
“(For) the first time ever, every NATO nation is pledging to develop plans for defense production at home. That means, as an alliance, we’ll become more innovative and competitive,” he said. “And we’re able to produce more critical defense equipment more quickly.”
Biden used a question about a possible Trump second term and Russia’s Ukraine war to take another swipe at his expected general election foe.
“I’m not hearing any of my European allies come up to me and say, ‘Joe, don’t run,’” he said. “I hear them say, ‘You gotta win. You can’t let this guy come forward. He’d be a disaster.’”
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