President Joe Biden’s press conference on Thursday night (11) generated great attention and analysis, especially after the presidential debate that raised questions about his fitness for office. Professor of International Relations Carlos Gustavo Poggio commented to the CNN Prime Time Biden’s performance and its implications for the Democratic campaign.
According to Poggio, the interview was considered a “good night” for Biden, despite some characteristic gaffes. The president made two notable mistakes: he momentarily confused Vice President Kamala Harris’ name with Donald Trump’s and hesitated when listing Pacific countries during an explanation of foreign policy.
Change in campaign climate
The expert emphasized that the context of the campaign changed significantly after the presidential debate. “Since the debate, the climate has changed profoundly. People will now start paying attention to every gaffe Joe Biden makes”, explained Poggio. He noted that errors that would previously have gone unnoticed are now widely disseminated and discussed on social media.
The unprecedented attention given to Biden’s press conference is indicative of this shift. Poggio commented: “I don’t remember a press conference getting the attention Biden got.” This suggests that the president’s every public appearance is being scrutinized, not just for content but also for signs of his physical and mental capacity to lead.
Impact on the Democratic campaign
Although the press conference was seen as an attempt to calm Democrats, Poggio assesses that the objective was only partially achieved. “It seems to me that it was a night where the objective was to calm the Democrats, it didn’t calm down completely, but at least he didn’t have any big problems,” said the professor.
Poggio concluded his analysis by suggesting that if Biden’s performance at the press conference had been similar to his performance at the debate, Democrats would be “a little calmer” today. However, the persistence of small errors and intensifying public scrutiny continue to be challenges for the Biden campaign as the presidential race progresses.
Texts generated by artificial intelligence in CNN Brazil are made based on video cuts from newspapers in their programming. All information is investigated and checked by journalists. The final text is also reviewed by the journalism team at CNN. Click here to learn more
(Published by Raphael Bueno, from CNN Brasil)
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