WASHINGTON — As President Joe Biden faces vast concerns about his age and reelection campaign, he didn’t immediately settle questions among his fellow Democrats during his first press conference since a disastrous debate against former President Donald Trump two weeks ago.
The president answered a series of of questions about his capacity to seek a second term, and he told reporters and Americans across the country: “If I slow down and can’t get the job done, that’s a sign I shouldn’t be doing it, but there’s no indication of that yet, none.”
He also said he’s staying in the 2024 race − but acknowledged that it’s important he try to “ally fears” among voters.
Still, the president made several flubs Thursday evening, including referring to “Vice President Trump” when he was talking about Vice President Kamala Harris.
The press conference took place on the closing day of a NATO summit Biden is hosting in Washington, and the president additionally fielded questions about America’s role on the world stage.
More: Beards? OK. Another Florida man? More challenging. Trump dishes on imminent VP pick
Earlier in the week, Biden seemed to coalesce the vast majority of Democratic members of Congress around his embattled reelection bid since he struggled to finish sentences and complete thoughts during the June 27 debate.
But new Biden detractors − sensing that time is running out if the party wants a change at the top of the ticket − continue to emerge. More than a dozen House Democrats have called on Biden the leave the race.
And scrutiny over the president’s gaffes didn’t stop on Thursday. Biden mistakenly referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “President Putin,” the leader of Russia, at the end of the NATO summit before correcting himself.
Keep up with the USA TODAY Network’s live coverage.
Rep. Scott Peters calls for Biden to leave the race
Rep. Scott Peters, D-Calif., is the second lawmaker to call for Biden to leave the presidential race shortly after his high-stakes press NATO press conference concluded.
Democrats were on track to lose even going into the debate last month, the lawmaker wrote in a statement announcing the decision, and the showdown between Trump and Biden “raised real concern” among voters. “This was not a blip,” he said.
“Today I ask President Biden to withdraw from the presidential campaign. The stakes are high, and we are on a losing course,” he said. “My conscience requires me to speak up and put loyalty to the country and to democracy ahead of my great affection for, and loyalty to, the President and those around him.”
He also called for a “fair and transparent process” to find a new nominee that can win in swing states.
The San Diego-area member of Congress is the 16th lawmaker to publicly urge Biden to step aside to date, including 14 other House members and one senator.
−Riley Beggin
Top Democrat on House Intelligence Committee calls on Biden to exit race
The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., came out with a statement calling on Biden to withdraw immediately after his press conference ended.
“President Joe Biden is a remarkable leader of unparalleled public service, undeniable achievement and unconditional patriotism,” Himes said in a statement. “It is because of those traits, and in consideration of that legacy, that I hope President Biden will step away from the presidential campaign.”
Himes was one of several Democratic committee leaders who participated in a call with House Democratic leadership on Sunday. On the call, Himes along with a handful of other lawmakers expressed concerns about Biden’s reelection campaign but did not go as far to say he should step aside.
– Ken Tran
A bridge candidate to a younger generation?
Asked why − after referring to himself as being a bridge candidate for a younger, fresher generation of Democratic leaders − what had changed, Biden said it was the “gravity of the situation.”He talked about what he “inherited in terms of the economy, our foreign policy and domestic division.”
Biden pointed to presidential historians crediting him for having accomplished more than most any president since Lyndon B. Johnson.
“What I realized was my long time in the Senate had equipped me to have the wisdom on how to deal with the Congress to get things done,” he said. “We got more major legislation passed that no one thought would happen. And I want to get that finished.”
−Swapna Venugopal
Biden sees ‘no good reason’ to talk to Putin
Biden said he is prepared to deal with any world leader who wants to talk, including China’s Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I’m ready to deal with them now and three years from now,” he said.
But, “I have no good reason to talk to Putin right now,” he said.
Biden said he’s not ready to talk to the Russian leader “unless Putin is ready to change his behavior.” Right now, he said, Putin doesn’t seem prepared to change his behavior.
–Michael Collins
The president didn’t only talk about his debate performance and the NATO alliance during his press conference
He also referenced many of the issues Democrats across the country are campaigning on this year, including protecting abortion rights; addressing gun violence and informing voters about Project 2025, a wide-reaching conservative plan created by a Washington think tank.
− Marina Pitofsky
Biden was asked whether he would be able to negotiate with Putin or Xi in three years if he’s reelected to another term: “I’m ready to deal with them now and three years from now.”
“There isn’t any world leader I’m not prepared to deal with,” he later added.
− Rebecca Morin
Biden mistakenly refers to ‘Vice President Trump’
Biden mistakenly referred to former President Donald Trump when asked about Vice President Kamala Harris.
Asked what concerns he would have about Harris’ ability to beat Trump if she were to lead the Democratic ticket, Biden misspoke.
“Look, I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice resident if she was not qualified to be president,” he said.
–Michael Collins
Asked about Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden touted her work on abortion rights in current role and also called her “a hell of a prosecutor.”
“I wouldn’t have picked her unless I thought she was qualified to be president,” Biden said.
− Marina Pitofsky
Biden responded to questions about his day-to-day schedule, including reports he goes to bed or works at a certain time.
“That’s not true,” he said, adding, “Look, what I said was, instead of my every day starting at 7 and going to bed at midnight, it’d be smarter for me to pace myself a little more.”
He added, “I love my staff, but to add things all the time, I’m catching hell from my wife.”
− Marina Pitofsky
Biden was asked about flubbing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy’s name during the NATO summit on Thursday. He tried to brush off the moment and called the conference a success.
− Marina Pitofsky
Biden hits Trump over NATO, tariffs
Biden opened his news conference summing up the three-day NATO summit in Washington and taking a swipe at Trump, who has been critical of the alliance.
Biden said Trump “has made it clear” that he has no commitment to NATO’s Article V, which says that an attack on one member is an attack on all. “He has already told Putin, and I quote, ‘Do whatever the hell you want,’” Biden said.
He also slammed Trump’s proposed 10% tariff on imported goods and for killing a bipartisan plan to secure the southern border with Mexico.
– Michael Collins
Biden on Wednesday kicked off his press conference by honoring Ukraine’s fight against Russia after years of bloody invasion.
“Today, Kyiv still stands. And NATO stands stronger than it has ever been,” Biden said. He added that Americans also need their relationships around the world as he commemorated NATO and other international agreements.
− Marina Pitofsky
Biden mistakenly referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “President Putin,” the leader of Russia, at the end of this week’s NATO summit, a stumble that’s certain to invite further criticism amid concerns about the president’s age.
“Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin,” Biden said as he introduced Zelenskyy at the summit in Washington that marked the 75th anniversary of the alliance of European and North American countries.
Biden started to walk away from the lectern at a Thursday evening event but quickly corrected himself. “President Putin − we’re going to beat President Putin. President Zelenskyy. I’m so focused on beating Putin, we gotta worry about it. Anyway.”
−Joey Garrison
President Joe Biden is scheduled to participate in a press conference Thursday at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center as part of this year’s NATO Summit. It is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. EST and will be livestreamed by USA TODAY.
– Gabe Hauari
Trump-district Democrat suggests Biden should resign from presidency
As more Democrats start to come out against Biden’s reelection bid, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash. − one of the few Democrats representing districts Trump won in 2020 − went as far as to suggest Biden should resign the presidency over concerns about his fitness to serve.
“Like most people I represent in Southwest Washington, I doubt the President’s judgement about his health, his fitness to do the job, and whether he is the one making important decisions about our country, rather than unelected advisors,” Gluesenkamp Perez said in a statement to KGW News.
“The crisis of confidence in the President’s leadership needs to come to an end. The President should do what he knows is right for the country and put the national interest first.”
– Ken Tran
More: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Biden cognitive test: ‘I don’t think it would hurt.’
Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawaii is urging Biden to drop out of the presidential race in favor of another Democratic nominee, bringing the total number of House Democrats calling on Biden to withdraw to 13.
“I do not believe President Biden should continue his candidacy for reelection as president,” Case said in a statement.
– Ken Tran
Make that 12: Another House Democrat calls on Biden to drop out
Ahead of Biden’s highly anticipated solo press conference at the NATO summit in Washington, Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., called for the president to leave the 2024 race − the 12th House Democrat to publicly do so.
“The Democratic Party must have a nominee who can effectively make the case against Trump, and have the confidence of the American people to handle the rigors of the hardest job on the planet for the next four years,” Stanton said in a statement.
“For the sake of American democracy, and to continue to make progress on our shared priorities, I believe it is time for the President to step aside as our nominee.”
– Ken Tran
More: Biden campaign says ‘no indication’ any other Democrat could do better against Trump
Civic Media, a Wisconsin-based progressive talk-radio network, said Thursday it had agreed to make two edits to an interview with President Joe Biden at the request of his campaign before the broadcast aired, a decision the station said fell short of “journalistic interview standards.”
The passages cut including a statement where Biden claimed “I have more Blacks in my administration than any other president, all other presidents combined, and in major positions, cabinet positions.”
In a second portion excised from the interview, Biden garbled a description of Donald Trump’s calls for the execution of five Black and Hispanic teens convicted in − and later exonerated for − an infamous 1990s gang rape.
The station said it would air the full July 3 interview.
More: Milwaukee radio station says it agreed to edit interview with Joe Biden
Biden campaign says ‘no indication’ any other Democrat could do better against Trump
Pushing back at Democratic detractors, President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign said Thursday there is “no indication” any other potential Democratic nominee would perform better than Biden in the election against former President Donald Trump.
In a memo titled “The Path Ahead,” Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon and campaign manager Julie Rodriguez Chavez sought to reassure Democrats increasingly concerned Biden can’t beat Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee.
“In addition to what we believe is a clear pathway ahead for us, there is also no indication that anyone else would outperform the president vs. Trump,” O’Malley Dillon and Rodriguez Chavez wrote.
More: Trump’s team gearing up in case Joe Biden bails on 2024 and Kamala Harris takes over
An ABC News/Washington Post poll released Thursday found Vice President Kamala Harris beating Trump 49%-47% nationally among registered voters in a hypothetical matchup – outperforming Biden, who the poll found tied with Trump at 46% apiece.
But O’Malley Dillon and Rodriguez Chavez disputed the reliability of such hypothetical polling.
“Hypothetical polling of alternative nominees will always be unreliable, and surveys do not take into account the negative media environment that any Democratic nominee will encounter,” they wrote. “The only Democratic candidate for whom this is already baked in is President Biden.”
−Joey Garrison
More: Biden campaign says ‘no indication’ any other Democrat could do better against Trump
11th House Democrat goes public against Biden
Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., called for Biden to step aside as the Democratic presidential nominee on Thursday, the 11th House Democrat to publicly come out against the president.
“I love President Biden. I am forever grateful for his leadership and service to our nation. The time has come, however, for President Biden to heroically pass the torch to a new generation of leadership to guide us to the future he has enabled and empowered us to pursue,” he said in a statement.
Schneider is a vice chair of the New Democrat Coalition, an influential group of roughly 100 centrist House Democrats. Leaders from the group met with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., on Wednesday to discuss Biden’s campaign.
− Ken Tran
For Biden donors, ‘There’s a lot of worry and concern’
Campaign donors will be watching President Joe Biden’s press conference this evening closely, said Betty Cotton of New York, who has donated more than $30,000 to his reelection campaign.
“Everybody wants to beat Trump,” Cotton told USA TODAY. “A lot of donors are concerned that Biden can’t do it. People are very worried about his vigor, strength, capacity − everything.”
“They’re worried.”
More: New poll finds that most Democratic voters want Biden to drop out of the race
Biden’s disastrous debate performance – and his subsequent interview with George Stephanopoulos − left her and other donors “even more concerned,” she said.
Cotton homed in on a moment when the ABC host asked Biden if he’d watched a recording of the debate and he replied, “I don’t think I did. No.”
“How would you not know if you watched the debate or not?” she said. “The bottom line is that everybody is interested in hearing how this press conference goes. It’s a chance for people to hear him without a teleprompter.”
−Swapna Venugopal
More: ‘It’s up to the president to decide’: Pelosi says of calls for Biden to abandon reelection
Michigan Rep. Hillary Scholten becomes the 10th House member to call for Biden to step aside
Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Mich., is the 10th House member to publicly call for President Joe Biden to leave the presidential race, adding to the drip of lawmakers pushing for change.
She is the first member to do so that is considered a “frontliner” — a member who represents such a politically mixed district that she faces a tough re-election campaign of her own this fall.
Biden had “an incredible legacy” of public service, she said in a statement. But “For the good of our democracy, I believe it is time for him to step aside from the presidential race and allow a new leader to step up.”
−Riley Beggin
More: Sailor caught after trying to breach President Biden’s medical records: Navy
Rep. Adam Smith frustrated with Democrats
Two days after Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., called for President Joe Biden to step aside in the 2024 race, he expressed frustration with Democrats who are backing Biden publicly but questioning his candidacy in private.
“Too many people in our party right now are saying ‘We are deeply concerned but what are you going to do about it?’” Smith said in an appearance on MSNBC. “You’re either all in or you’re deeply concerned. You can’t be both.”
He disputed the president’s campaign messaging that he is the best candidate to beat former President Donald Trump, adding that he was not picked in 2020 because he was the only person that could win against Trump.
“He was picked because he was the only person that could beat Bernie Sanders,” Smith said.
—Rachel Barber
Gretchen Whitmer weighs in on Biden cognitive test
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a co-chair of Biden’s reelection campaign, did not express concern about the suggestion that the president take a cognitive test.
“I don’t think it would hurt,” Whitmer told CNN Wednesday.
Whitmer continued to defend Biden amid growing public doubt by fellow Democrats that he should continue as the party nominee.
− Savannah Kuchar
More: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Biden cognitive test: ‘I don’t think it would hurt.’
New York Times editorial board says Trump is unfit for a second term
The New York Times editorial board in a new piece called on voters to reject a Donald Trump presidency, saying that the former president is unfit for a second term.
“Mr. Trump has shown a character unworthy of the responsibilities of the presidency. He has demonstrated an utter lack of respect for the Constitution, the rule of law and the American people,” the Times editorial board, made up of opinion journalists, wrote in a piece published Thursday.
“Instead of a cogent vision for the country’s future, Mr. Trump is animated by a thirst for political power: to use the levers of government to advance his interests, satisfy his impulses and exact retribution against those who he thinks have wronged him,” they added.
They wrote that they “urge voters to see the dangers of a second Trump term clearly and to reject it.”
–Sudiksha Kochi
Democratic lawmakers to closely watch Biden’s press conference
Democratic lawmakers will be closely watching Biden’s press conference this afternoon as several of them privately harbor concerns about his reelection bid but have so far declined to publicly weigh in.
A number of House Democrats are sitting on public statements calling on the president to withdraw or to cast doubt on his chances of winning in anticipation of the press conference, according to one House Democrat who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss their conversations with colleagues.
– Ken Tran
Trump goes after Clooney: ‘Get out of politics’
Former President Donald Trump slammed George Clooney on Wednesday after the Oscar-winning actor called on President Joe Biden to step aside from the 2024 presidential race.
“So now fake movie actor George Clooney, who never came close to making a great movie, is getting into the act. He’s turned on Crooked Joe like the rats they both are,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Clooney should get out of politics and go back to television.”
Clooney, a self-described lifelong Democrat and public supporter of Biden, in an op-ed on Wednesday called on Democrats to choose a new nominee, writing “We are not going to win in November with this president. On top of that, we won’t win the House, and we’re going to lose the Senate.”
— Rebecca Morin
New poll finds that most Dems want Biden to drop out and Harris would beat Trump in head to head matchup
A new Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll, conducted between July 5 and July 9, found that 56% of Democratic U.S. adults surveyed want Biden to drop out of the 2024 race, while 42% think he should continue his campaign for president and 2% were skipped.
The poll also found that Harris would beat Trump in a head to head matchup.
Forty-nine percent of registered voters surveyed said if the election were held today, they’d choose Harris, while 47% said they’d choose Trump. Biden and Trump remain tied 46% in a head to head matchup.
The poll, conducted among 2,431 adults with 2,041 being registered voters, has a sampling error of plus or minus two percentage points.
–Sudiksha Kochi
American actor Michael Douglas has joined the growing list of celebrities who have called for President Joe Biden to step down or questioned his ability to serve.
Douglas said on ABC’s The View that actor George Clooney’s op-ed calling for Biden to step out of the race makes a “valid point.”
“I mean, I’m deeply, deeply concerned. I mean, especially, it’s difficult because the Democrats have a big bench. I mean, they’ve got a lot of heavy-hitters… a lot of talent,” he said.
–Sudiksha Kochi
Who could replace Biden?
Several names have been floated as replacements for the Democratic incumbent. Vice President Kamala Harris would most likely be the top choice, according to Reuters, but cites Harris’ difficult start to the job and poor polling numbers as potential hurdles. Other names that have been mentioned include California Governor Gavin Newsom, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, who are also seen as viable contenders. These possible replacements are currently Biden supporters working to re-elect the president.
Despite the mounting calls, Biden remains defiant. “I’m getting so frustrated by the elites … any of these guys that don’t think I should run, run against me. Announce for president, challenge me at the convention,” he told MSNBC earlier this week.
Ryan Ross and Jeremy Yurow
Which lawmakers have called for Biden to bow out?
For nearly two weeks, President Joe Biden has been trying to downplay concerns by Democratic lawmakers worried he might lose to his Republican rival, Donald Trump, following his shaky debate performance last month.
But a wave of dissent on Capitol Hill has revealed that ten Democratic lawmakers are now publicly calling for President Biden to withdraw from the 2024 race.
Nine House Democrats, including Lloyd Doggett of Texas, Raul Grijalva of Arizona, Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, Mike Quigley of Illinois, Angie Craig of Minnesota, Adam Smith of Washington, Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey, Pat Ryan of New York and Earl Blumenauer of Oregon are urging Biden to step aside for a new generation of leaders.And on Wednesday evening, Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont became the first Democratic senator to publicly call on Biden to drop his bid for the White House.In an opinion piece in the Washington Post, Welch wrote, “For the good of the country, I’m calling on President Biden to withdraw from the race.”
Despite these calls, prominent members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.) continue to support him.
–Jeremy Yurow
Just when it looked like Biden had united most congressional Democrats around his candidacy, the dam has started to crack.
Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., said in a Tuesday night interview on CNN that he fears Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, will defeat Biden in a “landslide,” and Democrats will lose the Senate and House. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was noncommittal Wednesday on whether Biden should be the party’s nominee.
Rep. Pat Ryan, D-N.Y, who represents a swing congressional district, became the 8th House Democrat to call for Biden to withdraw from the race.
Adding to Biden’s woes, Hollywood actor and Democratic donor George Clooney, who hosted a Biden fundraiser just last month, called for Democrats to choose a different nominee. As did actor and director Rob Reiner, another major fundraiser.
— Joey Garrison
Aiming to shore up support, Biden’s campaign is making another effort Thursday by sending three senior campaign advisors to meet with Senate Democrats.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has been holding several meetings with Democratic lawmakers throughout the week to discuss Biden’s candidacy and fitness to serve. Jeffries has told his members in those private discussions he will bring their concerns back to Biden, according to a House Democrat familiar with the meetings.
— Joey Garrison and Ken Tran
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Publish date : 2024-07-11 20:45:00
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