IIgnoring growing pleas from political allies, President Joe Biden doubled down on his plans to run for re-election Thursday night, telling reporters he is not concerned about his legacy but rather committed to finishing the work he started. “We have more to do. We have to finish the job,” Biden said Thursday during a rare one-on-one news conference.
The challenging moment comes when Democrats are extremely discouraged about his candidacy. A disastrous debate performance against former President Donald Trump on June 27 raised many doubts about his presumptive candidate’s chances of occupying the White House. A handful of Democrats have publicly urged Biden to step aside and end his albatross threat to the party’s candidates on every vote.
“My schedule is packed,” Biden told reporters after a high-stakes summit between NATO members and allies. “I always wanted, when I played sports or did politics, to just keep going. I have to control myself.”
Once again, he blamed his advisors for his own stumbles. “I love my team, but they add things. They add things all the time. I’m catching hell from my wife. Anyway,” he said, stopping again.
Biden’s performance was halting at times, often stopping to clear his throat and speaking in a hoarse voice. He opened with a strong affirmation of the US commitment to NATO and boasted of a new economic report that showed a strengthening domestic economy. He criticized Trump’s veto from afar on a bipartisan border security agreement and reminded his audience of efforts to end the war in Gaza.
But it was clear he understood what was at stake and was under control. “I got a list of people to call here,” Biden said.
Responding to his first question, Biden confused the name of his surrogate while trying to discuss Vice President Kamala Harris’ ability to switch to the surrogate ticket.
“I would not have chosen Vice President Trump to be vice president if I didn’t think she was qualified to be president.” He later redoubled his support for the most likely replacement if he were to step aside: “She is qualified to be president. That’s why I chose her.”
The gaffe came just hours after Biden drew gasps from the diplomats’ room when he mistakenly called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky by the name of his enemy who invaded the country, Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The defeats came amid a shocking two weeks of half-starts and false resets following the Atlanta debate. Donors spoke out, aides comforted one another and prominent supporters like actor George Clooney and lawyer John Morgan urged Biden to rethink his next steps. Democrats on Capitol Hill weighed whether to be cautious or conspiratorial in trying to get Biden to step aside. And some in Biden’s inner circle quietly wondered how he could arrange his own exit in a way that preserved his legacy and demonstrated grace.
While there is near-universal agreement that the candidate who took the stage in Atlanta is unlikely to beat Trump, there is less comity in the position that anyone else can do better.
The prevailing feeling in party circles is that the press was less a defining moment and more a sideshow. Biden’s slow-motion collapse has Democrats worried about their chances this fall of maintaining control of the Senate and claiming the House majority. Although research has showing With little change in comparative polling, Democrats in Congress have begun attacking Biden’s inner circle for hiding the president’s supposed decline.
Biden’s performance Thursday night — starting late as aides milled around — probably wouldn’t change that. The verbal gaffes that have been part of her identity for half a century were on display, her stutter evident, her guilt easy to spread among her employees.
At one point, while answering questions about the weapons pipeline to Ukraine, he had another stumble. “I’m following the advice of my commander in chief, my — the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,” Biden said, appearing to say he deferred to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, his top military adviser. A small setback, of course, but at a time when the public does not allow him any margin for error.
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
