Joe Biden vows to fight on despite NATO gaffes and growing Democrat calls to stand aside
The US president called the Ukrainian leader "President Putin" and mixed up Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in a brace of blunders that will only increase speculation about his competence.
Friday 12 July 2024 07:59, UK
Joe Biden has insisted he will push ahead with his re-election bid despite two major gaffes at the NATO summit and a growing number of Democrats calling on him to stand aside.
His appearances at the Washington event were seen as make-or-break for the 81-year-old after a disastrous debate performance against rival Donald Trump last month.
However, speaking at the end of the three-day summit he mistakenly referred to Volodymyr Zelenskyy as "President Putin".
"Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin," Mr Biden said, referring to Mr Zelenskyy before correcting himself.
As it happened: Look back at Biden's NATO mishaps
"President Putin? I'm going to beat President Putin, President Zelenskyy. I am so focused on beating Putin," he added.
And to make matters worse, just a short while later while taking questions from journalists he mixed up the names of Kamala Harris and Trump.
When asked if he had any doubts about his vice president's ability to take the top job, he said: "I wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president if she wasn't qualified to be president."
Trump weighed in live on Mr Biden's news conference with a post on his social media network of a video clip of the president saying: "Vice President Mr Trump."
Mr Trump added sarcastically: "Great job, Joe!"
Despite the slip-ups, Mr Biden used the media Q&A to deliver a forceful defence of his foreign and domestic policies - and his bid to be re-elected.
"I'm not in this for my legacy. I'm in this to complete the job I started," Mr Biden said.
"My schedule has been full bore," he declared.
"So, if I slow down and I can't get the job done, that's a sign that I shouldn't be doing it. But there's no indication of that yet - none."
However, he is facing a growing chorus of calls from lawmakers, celebrities, and other prominent Democrats to step aside from the 2024 race.
Biden blew reset moment with gaffes - analysis
It was Biden's big screen test but, in truth, he rather blew it before it began.
A couple of hours before he took to the stage, the president had a 'Putin' moment - mistakenly introducing Ukraine's President Zelenskyy as "President Putin".
It was already the gaffe of the day.
Biden might have led a successful NATO conference but it was a meme-tastic moment to define his performance for the screen-scrolling generation, the very one he needs onside.
Shortly after Thursday's appearances, Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement that Mr Biden should "step aside".
"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.
"I no longer believe that is Joe Biden, and I hope that, as he has throughout a lifetime of public service, he will continue to put our nation first and, as he promised, make way for a new generation of leaders."
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It comes after Hollywood star George Clooney ended his support, stating he's "not the Joe 'big f***ing deal' Biden of 2010".
In a guest essay in the New York Times, the lifelong Democrat wrote: ""I love Joe Biden. As a senator. As a vice president and as president. I consider him a friend, and I believe in him.
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"Believe in his character. Believe in his morals. In the last four years, he's won many of the battles he's faced.
"But the one battle he cannot win is the fight against time. None of us can."
Meanwhile, Sky's US partner NBC News has reported that Biden campaign is "quietly assessing the viability" of vice-president Kamala Harris's candidacy against Trump in a new head-to-head poll.