Joe Biden defiant after introducing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Russian ‘President Putin’ at Nato summit
President Joe Biden mixed up the name of his Vice President, Kamala Harris, and his Republican rival Donald Trump as more of the 81-year-old incumbent’s Democratic colleagues call on him to end his re-election bid.
Biden faces growing doubts from donors, supporters and fellow Democrats, who fear he no longer has the ability to beat former President Trump in the November 5 election, or to lead the country for another four-year term following a disastrous televised debate performance against Trump.
The defiant president fronted journalists at an extraordinary press conference this morning, telling the world he was the best person to contest the presidency, but made another blunder.
“Look, I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president if she was not qualified to be president. So start there,” Biden said as he responded to a question from Reuters about his confidence in Harris.
That came a few hours after Biden mistakenly referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as “President Putin.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin,” Biden said at the Nato summit in Washington, drawing gasps from those in the room before correcting himself.
Nato members are wrapping up a summit in Washington where they extended support to Ukraine to combat the invasion that Russian President Vladimir Putin launched in February 2022.
Biden’s campaign has been on the ropes for two weeks, since his poor debate performance against Trump, 78.
So far, 13 of the 213 Democrats in the House and one of the Senate’s 51 Democrats have appealed publicly to the president to withdraw from the race. More could make their concerns public if he fares poorly.
Biden coughed frequently and occasionally garbled his responses at the outset of the news conference, but his responses grew steadier as he fielded questions from reporters. Biden overcame a childhood stutter and has frequently mangled names and misspoke throughout his political career.
Press conference has ended
James Wheeler
James Wheeler
Asked if he would reconsider letting Vice President Kamala Harris run, he said: "No, unless they came back and said there's no way you can win. No one's saying that."
James Wheeler
"I believe I'm the best qualified to govern and I'm the best qualified to win."
James Wheeler
Biden said if candidates show up tomorrow and the say they want someone else, that's fine.
"It's not going to happen."
James Wheeler
Asked if was open to take a cognitive test before the election, he said he had take three intense exams.
"In each case they say I'm in good shape."
"I'm good, I'm tested every single day."
Biden said the only thing age does is "give you a little bit of wisdom if you pay attention".
"I have laid it all out. I am surrounded by good docs. If they say I should take a neurological exam, I'll do it."
James Wheeler
Biden said: "I've got to finish this job. There is no much at stake."
James Wheeler
"Control guns, not girls"
More animated, Biden said we have a candidate who said he's not going to do anything.
"We're sitting around. More children are killed by a bullet than any other cause of death. The United States of America. What are we doing?"
"This is ridiculous. There is so much that can still be done."
James Wheeler
Asked if he was still fully determined to running, he said he was.
When asked if he is thinking about how the next two weeks will go for his campaign, Biden said he wanted to see people out on the trail.
He said he had over 1000 volunteers and an extensive election campaign.
"We have scores of headquarters in the toss-up states.
"We're organised and we're moving and that's awful hard to replace in the near term."
James Wheeler
He was asked about being a bridge leader to a younger generation.
He said he had accomplished more than any president since Johnson in getting major legislation passed.
"And I want to finish it."
James Wheeler
On the Gaza war, Biden said Israel were "sometimes less than cooperative" in efforts to get more aid and medicine into Gaza.
He said a two-state solution is the best way forward.
"The question's been from the beginning what is the day after in Gaza?"
"I told Bibi (Benjamin Netanyahu), don't make the same mistake America did after Bin Laden."
"There are a lot of things in retrospect I wish I had been able to convince Israel to do.
"My numbers are better in Israel than they are here."
James Wheeler
Biden has talked about bringing in groups from the Pacific, including Australia and NZ.
"We've slowed down what's going on there. We've slowed down China's reach."
James Wheeler
James Wheeler
He said they have a strategy to disrupt China and Russia's relationship but doesn't want to talk about it in public.
Biden said the west had fallen behind in being able to produce new weaponry.
The west is going to become the industrial base to be able to have all the weapons we need.
He said he was ready to deal with the Chinese and Russian leaders right now, "and in three years".
"I'm dealing with Xi right now. In direct contact with him."
"There isn't any world leader I'm not ready to deal with."
"Putin's got a problem."
Biden said he had conquered 17.4% of Ukraine and "they lie like hell about what's going on."
"If we allow Russia to succeed in Ukraine, they're not stopping in Ukraine."
James Wheeler
When asked if he has a strategy to disrupt China and Russia's relationship, Biden said Nato members raised in the meetings China's position in the Ukraine.
"China has to understand if they are supplying Russia information and capacity, they're not going to benefit economically."
Biden said, after the weather balloon incident, there is now a direct line between him and President Xi Jinping.
James Wheeler
Biden said he was able to get 50 other nations to support Ukraine.
"We're making the world safer and stronger."
James Wheeler
One journalist said there is a worry in Europe that former President Trump would weaken Nato or press Ukraine to make concessions.
Biden said he hasn't heard any European allies tell him not to run.
"You have to win."
"I'm hearing them say ... 'this guy [Trump] will be a disaster'."
Biden said he is the best-qualified person to make sure Ukraine doesn't fall and the European alliance doesn't fall.
James Wheeler
"Am I getting the job done? Can you name me someone who's got more major legislation through in the last three years?"
James Wheeler
Biden said they have allowed Zelenskyy to use American weapons, and he was taking advice on the use of those weapons.
James Wheeler
Biden said Kamala Harris is qualified to be President and he wouldn't have picked if he didn't think so.
Asked about reports he needed to go to bed earlier, he said: "That's not true."
Biden said he needed to pace himself a little more, but said "where has Trump been? He has been riding around on his stupid golf cart".
Biden said he had been to roughly 20 major events since the debate.
Biden says he's just got pace myself a lot more.
"I'm not going to be travelling in 15 time zones the week before."
James Wheeler
When asked if staying in the race would impact his legacy, Biden said he isn't in for his legacy.
"I'm in this to complete the job I started."
"The way to build this economy is from the middle out and the bottom up. Find me a mainstream economists who says we haven't done well."
Corporate profits had doubled since the pandemic, Biden said.
James Wheeler
He has now been asked about mixing up the Ukrainian president's name earlier. Biden laughed.
"Have you seen a more successful conference?"
James Wheeler
Confusing Kamala Harris for Donald Trump, Biden said "I wouldn't have picked vice president Trump to be vice president if I...." but then got back on track, adding:
"I beat him once and I will beat him again."
James Wheeler
Biden has now finished his prepared remarks and is taking questions about his leadership.
James Wheeler
Biden said core inflation is the lowest it has been in three years.
He said encounters on the Mexican border are down 50%.
"Lower than they were when Trump left office."
He said the US was working on a peace plan for Gaza and framework to bring the hostages home.
"We are the United States of America. We are the indispensable nation.
"These are difficult and complex issues. There are still gaps to close.
"Our leader matters, our partnerships matter."
James Wheeler
He said Trump has made it clear that he has no commitment to Nato.
"Today, Kyiv still stands and Nato stands stronger than it has ever been.
"I will not walk away from Ukraine. I will keep Nato strong".
Biden said every American must ask himself or herself, is the world safer with Nato?
"America is stronger, stronger because of our alliances."
James Wheeler
He said the Nato alliance was designed to keep members safer.
Speaking of Putin's invasion of Ukraine, Biden said, "Once again, a murderous madman was on the march".
Biden said Kyiv still stands and Nato still stands stronger than ever.
He said he rallied a coalition of 50 nations to help Ukraine defend itself.
"Nato is not only stronger but bigger.
"I made it clear I will not bow down to Putin. I will not walk away from Ukraine."
James Wheeler
US President Joe Biden told the waiting media pack the consensus among the Nato members was that the conference over the past few days in Washington DC was a success.
He said for those that thought Nato had passed, got a rude awakening when Putin invaded Ukraine.
James Wheeler
James Wheeler
Biden press conference minutes away
James Wheeler
Embattled US President Joe Biden is fronting the media for a solo press conference for the first time in eight months.
It comes after a Nato summit in Washington DC and amid growing pressure for him to drop out of the 2024 election after his recent debate performance against Donald Trump and discussion around his age.
Earlier, Biden made a fresh gaffe at the Nato summit, introducing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as ‘President Putin’.
‘Pace myself’
He said he needed to “pace myself” a little more and complained that his aides sometimes over-scheduled him. “I’m catching hell from my wife,” he said.
The news conference gave Biden an opportunity to tout his successes on the world stage and criticise Trump. Biden argued Trump would weaken Nato and drive up prices for US consumers by imposing steep tariffs on imported goods.
He took credit for bringing Sweden and Finland into the Nato alliance, and said he brought together 50 nations to support Ukraine. “I think I’m the best qualified person to do the job. To make sure that Ukraine does not fall,” he said.
United Auto Workers union officials met on Thursday to discuss their concerns with his candidacy, three sources familiar with the matter said, after endorsing Biden in January. The 400,000-member union has a big presence in industrial states like Michigan that Biden will need to carry to win re-election.
Biden’s campaign argued that the debate has not dramatically shifted the race, even as it laid out a narrow path to re-election that acknowledged that it faced an uphill climb in many states he won in 2020.
That did not stop four more Democrats in the House of Representatives from calling on Biden to end his campaign: Brad Schneider of Illinois, Greg Stanton of Arizona, Ed Case of Hawaii, and Hillary Scholten of Michigan.
“For our country’s sake, it is time for the President to pass the torch to a new generation of leaders,” Stanton said in a statement.
None of the party’s leaders in Congress have called for Biden to end his candidacy, though former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday declined to say he should stay in the race.
The campaign has commissioned a survey to test how Vice President Kamala Harris would fare if she were to replace Biden as candidate, according to a source with knowledge of the matter. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released last week found Harris would fare no better than Biden if she were the Democratic nominee, as both were statistically tied with Trump.
Prominent donors like actor George Clooney have called on Biden to drop out, and there were signs that concerns are growing within Biden’s campaign operation as well.
The New York Times reported that some longtime advisers were considering ways to convince him to drop his reelection bid, while NBC News reported that some campaign staffers thought he stood no chance of winning the election.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released last week found Biden and Trump tied at 40% each. Other opinion polls have found Trump leading Biden, and some strategists have warned that Trump stood a chance of winning reliably Democratic states like New Hampshire and Minnesota.
In their strategy memo, the campaign argued that it has always expected a close election and could win by focusing on three battleground states: Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
If he won those states, along with others considered to be reliably Democratic, he would win 270 electoral votes -- the bare minimum needed to secure the presidency. Biden won 306 electoral votes in 2020.
The campaign characterised other battleground states he won in 2020 as “not out of reach”.
Luxon: Biden “on top of his brief”
Earlier today, NZ Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Biden was mentally sharp and “on top of his brief” during a meeting between the pair as Luxon nears the end of his time in the US.
Luxon also maintained the issue of whether Biden had the capacity to serve another term as President “wasn’t a consideration in my head”.
The pair had a couple of informal interactions yesterday at a White House dinner, where Luxon said he observed Biden’s “great sense of humour”.
Early this morning NZ time, Luxon had a “pull aside” meeting with Biden and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken as part of the Nato summit proceedings where they spoke about the US’ engagement in the Pacific.
Luxon said he enjoyed the “excellent” interaction. Asked whether Biden was sharp, Luxon said: “Yes, absolutely”.
He described Biden as being “on top of his brief” concerning the Pacific.