President Joe Biden used his eagerly awaited press conference On Thursday, he vigorously defended his foreign and domestic policies and fended off questions about his ability to remain in office for another four years, although he did manage to reference Donald Trump in one of his first answers.
“I’m not in this to leave my legacy. I’m in this to finish the job I started,” Biden said, stressing that he has strong support among voters and will stay in the race and win.
Despite all the blunders, the president rejected any accusation that there was a slowdown or a noticeable weakening of performance or that he was unfit for the office. But he faced a growing chorus of calls from politicians, celebrities and other prominent Democrats to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.
“My schedule is full,” he explained, “so if I slow down and can’t get the work done, that’s a sign that I shouldn’t be doing it. But there’s no sign of that so far – none.”
The Democrats are facing an intractable problem. Top donors, supporters and key lawmakers are doubting Biden’s ability to sustain his re-election bid after his disastrous June 27 debate performance, but the hard-fought 81-year-old president is refusing to give up as he prepares to Trump card in a rematch.
“I am committed to running, but I think it is important that I allay the fears – that they see me out there,” he said.
The first questioner at Biden’s press conference asked about his loss of support among many of his fellow Democrats and union members and about Vice President Kamala Harris. Biden initially responded defiantly, saying the “UAW supports me, but go ahead,” referring to the United Auto Workers. But then he confused Harris and Trump, saying, “I would not have nominated Vice President Trump for vice president if she wasn’t qualified.”
Trump joined Biden’s press conference live by posting a video clip of the president saying “Vice President Trump” on his social media.
Trump added sarcastically: “Great job, Joe!”
The hour-long press conference was mostly pure Biden: He gave long answers on foreign policy and told hackneyed anecdotes. His eight-minute opening remarks on NATO were delivered via teleprompter. He then lowered the teleprompter and answered a wide range of questions from 10 journalists about his mental state, his foreign and domestic policies and, most importantly, the future of his campaign.
“I believe I am the best qualified to govern. I believe I am the best qualified to win,” Biden said, adding that he will stay in the race until his staff says, “There is no way you can win.”
“Nobody says that,” he said. “No poll says that either.”
Previously, Biden’s campaign team had outlined in a new memo how it plans to keep the White House. It said that winning the “blue wall” states of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan was the “clearest path” to victory. And it said that no other Democrat would do better against Trump.
“There is also no indication that anyone else would outperform the President over Trump,” said the memo from campaign chairman Jen O’Malley Dillon and campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez, which was obtained by The Associated Press.
The memo attempted to dismiss “hypothetical polls of alternative candidates” as unreliable, saying such polls “do not take into account the negative media environment that any Democratic candidate will face.”
Meanwhile, the campaign has been quietly conducting a poll of voters about Harris to gauge how she is sounding to voters, according to two people familiar with the campaign who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters.
Respondents said the poll did not necessarily show that she could be the candidate to replace Biden, but rather to better understand how she is viewed. The survey came after Trump stepped up his attacks on Harris after the debate, according to another person familiar with the poll. The poll was first reported by the New York Times.
While Biden has been confident about his chances, his campaign acknowledged Thursday that he is behind. And a growing number of Biden’s White House and campaign advisers are privately doubting that he can turn things around.
But they are taking their cues from Biden, saying he is 100% in as long as he doesn’t resign. And there doesn’t seem to be any organized internal effort to get the president to resign. His allies were well aware going into the week that there would be more calls for his resignation, and they were prepared for it.
But as Biden announced a pact that would bring NATO countries together to support Ukraine, he referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin,” prompting audible gasps in the room. He quickly returned to the microphone: “President Putin – he’s going to beat President Putin … President Zelensky,” Biden said.
To explain this faux pas, he then said: “I am so focused on defeating Putin.”
“I’m better,” Zelensky replied. “You’re a hell of a lot better,” Biden replied.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer invited Biden’s team to meet privately with senators during the lunch break to discuss the concerns and how to proceed, but some senators complained they would rather hear from the president in person. In the Senate, only Peter Welch of Vermont has so far called for Biden to withdraw from the race.
The 90-minute call with the president’s team, which did not include any new data, polls or plans on how Biden might beat Trump, did not appear to change senators’ minds, according to one person who was granted anonymity to discuss the closed session.
The meeting was candid, at times angry and also a little painful, as many in the room know and love Biden, said a senator who requested anonymity to speak about the private briefing. Senators confronted aides about Biden’s performance in the debate and the implications for Senate elections this year.
A Democrat, Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, said afterwards: “I am convinced that the president can win, but he must be able to address the concerns of voters. He must be able to speak directly to voters in the next few days.”
At the same time, influential senators are firmly behind Biden, which is leading the party into a dead end.
Senator Bernie Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont, told AP he believes Biden “is going to win this election. I think he has a chance to win clearly.”
Sanders said he had publicly criticized the campaign and that Biden needed to talk more about the future and his plans for the country. “The closer we get to Election Day, the clearer the decisions will be,” he said.