President Joe Biden still has no intention of dropping out of the presidential race, despite a growing number of lawmakers calling for him to do so following his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump last month.
During a high-stakes press conference at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, the president said he wouldn’t drop out of the race even if his team showed him data demonstrating that Vice President Kamala Harris has a better chance of defeating Trump — before cracking open the door to the possibility.
“No,” he said, ”unless they come back and say there’s no way you can win.”
The press conference closing out NATO’s annual summit was Biden’s first since the debate threw the future of his presidential campaign into serious doubt. For Biden — a longtime member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during his time in Congress — it was a comfortable setting, in a policy realm where he holds vast experience.
While the president addressed critical foreign policy issues and questions about his health, his soft-spoken performance will likely do little to dispel the concerns raised by voters and lawmakers. The Biden who answered questions for nearly an hour at the podium was noticeably stronger than the one who was present at the debate, but he has struggled in the public eye for months, and no single press event is likely to change the current trajectory — especially considering he responded to the first question he received with a gaffe, referring to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump.”
“I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president, if she’s not qualified to be president,” Biden said.
Biden also fielded questions about his physical and mental fitness, defending himself against reports that he was having to go to bed earlier in order to accommodate the rigors of the job. “I just gotta pace myself a little more,” he said, pointing to his packed schedule during the NATO summit as evidence of his continued fitness.
“I’m determined on running, but I think it’s important that I allay fears, let them see me out there,” Biden said in response to another question, referencing the many campaign events on his recent and upcoming schedule.
The president later indicated that he would be open to taking another neurological exam, on top of the ones conducted during his annual physical — if his physicians recommended it. Biden added that, in his view, no amount of cognitive exams would satisfy the press and public. “No matter what I did, no one’s gonna be satisfied,” he said. “‘Did you have seven docs? Did you have two? Who’d you have? Did you do this? How many times?’ So I’m not opposed, if my doctors tell me I should have another neurological exam, I’ll do it.”
When he wasn’t addressing concerns about his fitness, Biden was responding capably and in detail to foreign policy questions, demonstrating his breadth of understanding of international matters compared to Trump. Also in contrast to Trump, Biden stressed the importance of NATO and touted his own ability to stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “I made it clear that I will not bow down to Putin,” he said in his opening remarks. “I will not walk away from Ukraine. I will keep NATO strong. That’s exactly what we did, and exactly what we’ll continue to do,” Biden said.
But shortly before taking the stage for his solo Q&A, Biden made an unfortunate gaffe while introducing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at another event.
“Now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination. Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin,” Biden said before quickly correcting himself. “President Putin! We’re going to beat President Putin. President Zelenskyy. I’m so focused on beating Putin. We’ve got to worry about it. Anyway, Mr. President.”
Zelensky took the mistake in jest, quipping that he is “better” than Putin before taking the mic.
Numerous Democratic Party sources on Capitol Hill, among their megadonor class, and even in the Biden administration, told Rolling Stone — including hours ahead of Biden’s presser — that the president’s performance on Thursday would do little to change their calculus.
According to three Democratic lawmakers, all of whom had endorsed Biden and said they were proud of his policy legacy, there is a rapidly growing belief within every corner of the party’s elite that there is no point in waiting around for the next four months for Biden to misstep again or degenerate further. Each day he’s in the race from here on out is a liability, no matter how competently he handled a single Thursday.
“The president, I say respectfully, just needs to bow out and fast,” one of the lawmakers says. “We are wasting time that could be focused on beating the hell out of Donald Trump.”
Politico reported earlier on Thursday that multiple European delegations had also raised concerns about Biden’s visible frailty during NATO meetings and events. “It’s a very weird feeling to be in Europe listening to the president of the United States, and you’re more stressed about whether he will go off script than being excited to listen to the leader of the free world,” one senior European diplomat told Politico.
Several more Democratic lawmakers called for Biden to withdraw from the presidential race on Thursday; so far, over a dozen Democratic House members and one senator have issued such calls, while many more have expressed concerns about Biden’s ability to beat Trump.
In the lead-up to Thursday’s presser, Politico reported that at least half a dozen more lawmakers were preparing to publicly call for Biden’s exit from the campaign if he performed badly.
Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), who has already called on Biden to drop out, said that the press conference would make little difference to him. “What if he has a great day and a bad day tomorrow? Do you really want a campaign where you have that uncertainty through the most tense moments?”
“The cake is baked,” he added.
Minutes after Biden’s press conference ended, Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) called on him to exit the race. “The 2024 election will define the future of American democracy, and we must put forth the strongest candidate possible to confront the threat posed by Trump’s promised MAGA authoritarianism,” Himes said in a statement, adding: “I no longer believe that is Joe Biden.”