During Joe Biden’s press conference at the Nato summit, which many described as a test for the future of his re-election bid, he demonstrated clarity and conviction on foreign policy. But much was overshadowed by a couple of awkward gaffes and a shaky voice, at a time when the US is hyper-focused on his fitness to lead.
After roughly eight minutes of prepared remarks, Biden answered reporters’ questions on Nato, Ukraine, China and Israel, and just as many on his cognitive health and his vow to stay in the race.
“I’m determined on running, but I think it’s important that I allay fears,” Biden said at one point.
The press conference is not likely to be the decisive moment that some hoped would push a critical mass of elected Democrats to call for him to end his campaign – or decide that he can’t be replaced.
Here are the key takeaways:
Biden showed fluency on foreign policy and hailed the Nato summit as a success
Biden answered numerous questions about Ukraine, telling those who thought that Nato’s time had passed that Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine was a “rude awakening” and resulted in “some of the oldest and deepest fears in Europe” roaring back to life.
On China, he said the country has to understand that its people are not going to “benefit economically” if Beijing supplies Russia with information and capacity, and if it works with North Korea to help Russia’s armaments.
On Israel and Gaza, he said he put together a process for a two-state solution, because “the question has been from the beginning – what’s the day after in Gaza?”
He also said he knows it sounds “too self-serving” but that other Nato leaders have been thanking him and telling him that he is “the reason we’re together”.
He gave a ringing endorsement of Kamala Harris, his vice-president
Speaking about Kamala Harris, he said: “I wouldn’t have picked her unless I thought she was qualified to be president. From the very beginning, I made no bones about that. She is qualified to be president. That’s why I picked her.”
Harris has handled the issue of freedom of women’s bodies, he said, and was “a hell of a prosecutor”. But he also made clear that he would not step aside just because of strong polling that favored Harris, if that’s what his campaign found. Instead, he said he would only drop out if he knew he couldn’t win against Trump.
But Biden made some significant errors
Before the press conference began, Biden introduced the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, as “President Putin”, though he quickly caught his mistake and corrected himself.
Then, during the press conference, he made a similar flub. When asked if he has concerns about Harris’s ability to beat Trump if she were at the top of the ticket, Biden said he “wouldn’t have picked Vice-President Trump to be vice-president if I didn’t think she was qualified to be president”. He did not correct this mistake.
A reporter asked about the gaffe at the end of the press conference, mentioning that Trump is already capitalizing on it to point out Biden’s age and unfitness for the presidency. “Listen to him,” Biden said, before walking off the stage.
He denied reports that he said he needs to go to bed earlier
Biden dismissed reports that he asked his staff to end events earlier so he could get more sleep, saying he never made that request. But he did say it would be “smarter for me to pace myself a little more”.
“Instead of my every day starting at seven and ending at midnight, it would be smart for me to pace myself a bit better,” he said.
He called the debate performance against Trump “a mistake” and said his schedule since then has been “full-bore”.
Biden also took the opportunity to attack his opponent, saying that while he has held numerous events and rallies since the debate, Trump has “done virtually nothing” – and spent his time “riding around [on] his golf cart, filling out his scorecard”.
Biden said other people could beat Trump – but they’re at a disadvantage
Toward the end of the press conference, Biden addressed the continuation of his candidacy, despite the fact that he called himself a bridge candidate in 2020 who would usher in a younger generation of Democrats.
“Other people could win, but they have to start from scratch right now,” he said.
He also said he still thinks he is “the most qualified person to run for president”. He says he beat Trump once, “and I will beat him again”.
