Bloomberg said that although US President Joe Biden pledged that he would remain in the 2024 presidential race, two or two serious mistakes within two hours deepened concerns about his mental acuity that threatens his campaign, and may cost him greatly.
Biden, 81, saw this week's NATO summit as an opportunity to reassure allies who had been concerned for two weeks about his abilities after his first debate performance against Donald Trump.
During a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a nearly hour-long news conference, he spoke confidently on a range of complex issues from tax law and trade policy to Russia and the war between Israel and Hamas.
Two slips in a row
But with almost no margin for error, Biden has mistaken two of his greatest allies for his greatest enemies.
The president drew immediate gasps and ridicule online when he mistakenly introduced Zelensky as Russian President Vladimir Putin at a late afternoon event. Then, at the opening of the news conference, he fumbled a question about Vice President Kamala Harris by saying he "would not have chosen Trump as his running mate" if he did not trust her.
The goal of the solo news conference, Biden's first this year, was to show that he has the stamina and skill to make a case to voters that he should be elected over Trump in November.
His loyal allies said they cheered when he took questions from 11 journalists and showed more humility than he has shown in recent days about the difficult political road ahead.
"I'm determined to run, but I think it's important to allay fears," Biden said.
Calming fears provokes unrest
But with viewers hanging on his every word, early indications were that Biden's performance was not enough to ease the intra-party turmoil that erupted after his debate against Trump.
Immediately after the press conference ended, at least three other House Democrats, including Representative Jim Himes, his party's top member on the Intelligence Committee, joined the growing list of lawmakers calling on Biden to step down.
A member of the NATO delegation said, after the press conference, that his country's leader does not believe that Biden is able to survive the crisis that is consuming his presidency, although the summit in Washington was generally praised by participants for its content.
Trump's opportunity to mock
For Trump and his allies, who want Biden to stay in the race, there was enough material for mockery, as Trump happily took advantage of Biden mistaking Harris for his predecessor, posting on his social media site that Biden had done a “great job.”
When asked at the end of the press conference about his response to Trump's observation of his inconsistency, Biden noted that his rival had said much worse things. He said: “Listen to him.”
Biden and finish the job
Biden rejected the calls for him to step down, which were raised by many reporters, saying that he is "the best qualified person to do this job."
He won't hand the party over to another Democrat "because there's too much at stake," he added. "I have to finish this job."
But in one of the first times of his presidency, he admitted that “there are other people who can beat Trump, too.” While he said he was still committed to running, he hinted he might reconsider if "they come back and say there's no way you can win."
Biden then played down his verbal blunders, pointing to world leaders who hailed the NATO conference as a success.
However, even Biden acknowledged that he may never be able to fully reassure Americans about his competency when asked whether he would take a new neurological test.
“No matter what I do, no one will be satisfied,” Biden said, adding, “I am not in this for my legacy. I am here to complete the mission I started.”
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