President Joe Biden’s post-NATO press conference was a success, despite bloopers | Opinion
President Joe Biden was more than an hour late for a scheduled post-NATO press conference.
It was worth the wait. Whether he convinced others that he can beat Donald Trump is something else.
There were a few problems but nothing that kept me from buying into the complaints about his faculties.
First,a big blooper: Biden accidentally called Vice-President Kamala Harris “Vice-President Trump” in response to the first question.
He came out with NATO talking points in the first 10 minutes of the event. Yes, there appeared to be teleprompters.
And that pesky cough was back.
But so was Biden, in a hourlong mostly unscripted question-and-answer chat with journalists (with follow-up questions).
So, how’d he do? Good, aside from that blooper (and one earlier in the day when he called Ukrainian’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy “President Putin). But you know how often my mother called me by my sister’s name? Too many to count.
The president looked good and appeared competent.
“I believe I’m the best qualified to govern and I think I’m the best qualified to win,” Biden told reporters.
He took questions on wide-ranging issues from his ability to be president, to the war in Gaza, the war in Ukraine, whether he has the backing of his party and more. He answered them sufficiently.
Did he sound good? His slower speech and slightly slurred words may have gotten worse over time, but it’s not new. Biden has long had a folksy way of speaking that isn’t crisp or sharp.
Questions I believe are more important include: Does he lie? Does he fabricate facts? Does he backpedal on statements he made? No.
And here’s a big one: Would he accept the rule of law and democracy (unlike Donald Trump)?
When a reporter asked whether he thinks his party should vote their conscience and elevate another candidate if they see fit, he said yes.
“They are free to vote their conscience. That’s the democratic process.” But then he whispered. “But that’s not going to happen.”
Biden believes he needs to stay in the race and made it clear he is confident his allies will back him. Still, he’s heard the noise and knows he needs to do something about it. Hence, the press conference and other appearances in the coming weeks.
“I’m planning on running, but I think it’s important that I allay fears,” he said. He knows some Democrats, funders and even celebrities (George Clooney, anyone?) are saying he should step aside. He’s not oblivious to the unease.
But fiery Joe is back, too. He raised his voice a few times in answer to questions. He asked a reporter “Do you think democracy’s under siege?” and then said, “I’ve got to finish this job because there’s so much at stake.”
He mostly stayed off domestic issues, but referenced gun violence and abortion when he talked about not backsliding on important topics such as civil rights, civil liberties and women’s rights: “There’s a little button we have,” he said, “‘Control guns, not girls.’”
Then he raised his voice again, “More children are killed by a bullet than by any other cause of death.”
I spoke to a few friends and journalists who watched the press conference, and some said he performed well on this night but questioned future occasions.
We question that too, but if the major concern blowing up the airwaves, media and social platforms came from one night — the debate — then shouldn’t this appearance mean as much?
When asked if he would take another neurological exam, he said he would if his doctors advised him to, saying he’s surrounded by “a lot of good docs.”
Toward the end, Biden made this prescient statement, which might sum up where we are in the campaign: “We are the United States of America. We are the indispensable nation. Our leadership matters. Our partnerships matter. This moment matters.”
Did this moment matter to enough people watching? We’ll find out in future weeks. But as of this opportunity to see him in action, I continue to give Biden the credit he deserves.
