Key takeaways from Biden’s news conference: Insistence on staying in the race and flubbed names
WASHINGTON — Joe Biden faced a test Thursday he had avoided so far this year: a solo press conference with questions from the White House press corps.
The news conference was intended to reassure a dispirited group of Democratic lawmakers, allies and voters in this year’s election that Biden still has the strength and staying power to be president. Biden has tried to make up for his weak and tongue-tied performance in the Debate of June 27 in return for Republican Donald Trump rather than as evidence that at 81 he lacks the power and commanding presence the public expects from a commander in chief.
He made at least two notable gaffes, describing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “President Putin” before an event and then calling Kamala Harris “Vice President Trump” when a reporter asked about her. But he also gave detailed answers about his work to preserve NATO and his plans for a second term. And he insisted he is not leaving the race, even as a growing number of Democratic lawmakers are calling for him to step aside.
Here are some highlights from the press conference:
Perhaps Biden’s biggest misstep during the press conference came when he referred to Vice President Kamala Harris early on as “Vice President Trump,” saying he picked her because he believed she could beat Trump.
Even before the press conference, Biden had messed up a key name NATO summit and immediately lowered expectations for his performance.
“Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin,” Biden said as he introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is definitely not Russian President Vladimir Putin. The gaffe immediately prompted gasps, as Biden grabbed himself and said to Zelenskyy, “President Putin? You’re going to defeat President Putin.”
But he was defiant when a reporter brought up his reference to “Vice President Trump,” noting that the presumptive Republican nominee’s campaign was already promoting the misstep. “Listen to him,” he said, before walking off the stage.
A Democrat in the House of Representatives, Representative Jim Himes of Connecticut, issued a statement minutes later calling on the president to withdraw.
It’s a delicate dance between the president and vice president, with many Democrats openly eager for Harris to replace Biden on the ticket. Biden didn’t acknowledge that tension, only bringing up Harris in response to pointed questions about whether he believed she had the capacity to replace him.
“I wouldn’t have chosen her if I didn’t think she was qualified to be president,” Biden said, referring to Harris’ resume as a prosecutor in the U.S. Senate.
But in response to a later question, he acknowledged that he had gone beyond his 2020 campaign promise to be a “bridge” to a new generation of Democrats. “What changed was the gravity of the situation that I inherited,” he said, without saying a word about his vice president.
He said repeatedly, “I have to finish this job.”
The press conference ended with Biden being asked if he would step down for Harris if he saw that polls showed she had a better chance of beating Trump. “No, unless they come back and say there’s no way to win,” Biden replied. Then he added in a whisper: “No polls say that.”
Biden tried to make clear that what he does is more important than how he talks about it.
He praised the recent NATO summit for improving America’s standing. “Have you ever seen a more successful conference?” Biden told a group of reporters who often saw the conference only through prepared speeches.
He went into detail about how inflation has fallen from its 2022 peak, listing statistics such as the creation of 800,000 manufacturing jobs under his administration, and said world leaders would trade their own economies for what the United States has. He also said he would cap how much rent could grow for tenants of landlords who are part of a low-income housing tax credit program.
It’s the same pitch Biden has made in his campaign speeches without necessarily doing much to boost his own popularity. His team believes it will sink in if it’s repeated over and over again.
Biden began the press conference by talking at length about NATO and its value to the United States. That is one of his strongest political arguments against Trump, who is openly skeptical of the alliance and once suggested he would encourage Russia to attack NATO members he sees as defaulters.
Biden pledged to an American tradition that stretches “from Truman to Reagan to me” of defending NATO. “Every American has to ask themselves, is the world safer with NATO?” he asked.
Later, to reassure a European journalist who asked about governments on that continent worried that Trump might win, Biden began with a detailed account of how he helped shepherd Finland into the alliance. He then went into detail about how he could hit back at China for supporting Russia in its war on Ukraine and asserted that he will continue to be able to deal with Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Overall, Biden spoke forcefully and fluently about foreign policy, one of his favorite topics. But the focus of the press conference was not really on foreign policy, but on reassuring Democrats and the world that Biden can still be president and beat Trump.
That shows how even Biden’s strengths are overshadowed by questions about his capabilities.
Every politician has a standard set of rules. And when Biden could, he would fall back on his favorite talking points. It was a way to answer the question without necessarily having to say anything spontaneous or new.
He went after trickle-down economics, borrowing a line about his father, who never benefited much from tax cuts aimed at the wealthy (“I don’t remember much trickling down to his kitchen table”). He praised Delaware for leading the country in business. He said he was the “most pro-union president in history.” He explained his decision to run for a second term with a variation on his “get the job done” slogan. He launched into his standard spiel about computer chips.
Biden had no time limit on his answers, as he had in the debate, and spent several minutes talking about his interactions with foreign leaders and making his case for re-election.
There were few fireworks in Biden’s answers — with the highly anticipated event at times feeling more like a think tank talk than an attempt to capture voters’ attention. He delved into geopolitics in detail and rattled off numbers — though at one point he asked not to be tied to a precise figure.
While it didn’t help eliminate the hesitations and blank stares during the debate, it did show that he could answer reporters’ questions on a variety of topics without losing focus.
There was still frequent coughing and throat clearing, and sometimes he lowered his voice to a hoarse whisper reminiscent of the rasp of his voice on debate night.
Overall, his presentation was a reminder that people are now focused on him, with an almost clinical eye for potential missteps and mistakes. It’s a pressure that’s unlikely to go away as long as Biden insists he’s staying in the race.
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Riccardi reported from Denver.