Joe Biden made another strong case for his November presidential bid at a highly anticipated press conference, but his night was marred by embarrassing mistakes.
As the Democratic camp appears to be doubting his ability to run in November, US President Joe Biden, 81, once again showed himself to be combative on Wednesday, despite some embarrassing errors, notably by confusing the names of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with that of Russian President Vladimir Putin, provoking audible snickers in the audience.
Later, when asked about it in front of a television audience, he called his Vice President Kamala Harris a “Vice President Trump.”
He repeatedly dismissed a torrent of questions from reporters about his mental health, insisting he was running to finish the job he started in 2021 and was capable of doing so based on his record so far.
Joe Biden appeared more comfortable when making detailed comments on foreign policy, during which he said he had “no good reason” to talk to Vladimir Putin at the moment.
“Putin has a problem. First of all, in this war that he supposedly won. I mean, in terms of percentage of territory, they haven’t had much success.”did he declare.
He added that he was in contact with Chinese President Xi Jinping to warn him not to offer further support to Russia in its war against Ukraine.
The US president also warned China that if it worked with North Korea to help arm Russia, there would be economic consequences.
More and more voices are being raised calling for the president to step down
Shortly after his performance, however, prominent Connecticut Congressman Jim Himes and more than a dozen Democrats called on their candidate to withdraw from the race.
Concerns about the incumbent’s ability to run grew after a botched debate in June in which the president appeared confused and disoriented.
Despite the unrest in his camp, Joe Biden stressed that he nevertheless had the full support of his European counterparts.
“I don’t hear my European allies coming to me and saying, ‘Joe, don’t run.’ What I hear them saying is, you have to win. You can’t let this guy (Donald Trump) run. It would be a disaster.”did he declare.
His allies have remained diplomatic, avoiding questions about his mistakes and generally praising the president.
The French President Emmanuel Macron defended his counterpart, saluting his “depth of thought on international issues”.
“We all make mistakes sometimes. It happened to me. It will probably happen to me tomorrow. I will ask you for the same indulgence. It is the kind of indulgence that is required between caring people.”did he declare.
Despite defections within his own party and scrutiny from reporters in attendance, Joe Biden maintained that he was “the most qualified person to do the job.”
Although he answered questions in detail and appeared relatively fluent, it is unclear whether his performance will be enough to allay concerns about his mental acuity or reduce the intense pressure on his potential slip-ups and mistakes.
Asked if he would resign and allow his vice president to run if she performed better in the polls, Joe Biden replied: “No, unless they come back and say you can’t win,” Biden replied, before adding, in a stage whisper: “No poll says that.”