Biden Survives Solo Presser as Map Shrinks, Aides Fret, Rebels Rally

President Joe Biden had a few stumbles but survived a pivotal solo press conference on Thursday night as intra-party fighting and a shrinking electoral college map threaten his path to a second term in the White House.

Biden's first solo press conference of the year came as Democrats publicly called for him to leave the race over skepticism that he could win in November and effectively run the country. Democrat leaders considered it a make-or-break moment for the president, advocating for people to reserve judgment on his candidacy until after the presser.

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Biden ends high stakes press conference

After taking questions from reporters for nearly an hour, President Joe Biden ended the press conference with only two gaffes, a few coughs, drifting off only a couple times, and delivering several strong policy messages.

Biden says delegates are free to do what they

When asked about delegates changing their vote and supporting another candidate at the Democratic convention, President Joe Biden responded with a simple answer that they can do what they want.

"That's the Democratic process. But it ain't going to happen."

Questions shift to foreign policy for Biden

President Joe Biden's press conference has shifted largely from questions about if he's up to continuing his reelection campaign to foreign policy.

"There isn't any world leader I'm not prepared to deal with," the president said.

He also vowed to maintain a hardline against Russian President Vladimir Putin: "If we allow Russia to succeed in Ukraine, they're not stopping in Ukraine."

Reactions start pouring in about Biden's solo press conference: 'Struggling watching this'

President Biden has made some fairly cringe-y gaffes at this press conference – including mixing up his vice president with his sworn political enemy - but it does not appear to be the flameout that many of his critics were hoping.

Ari Fleischer, a former White House press secretary in the Bush administration and a fierce critic of Biden, said he'd end the presser early.

David Axelrod, the former Obama adviser who recently called for Biden to drop out of the race, noted that the president had a strong grasp of the foreign-policy issues he was asked about.

At the same time, the well-connected New York Times correspondent Maggie Haberman said: "Democrats are texting me how sad they find this. Whether people like Biden or don't like him, he's been in public service for decades and even those who want him to step aside are struggling watching this."

The question for the morning will likely come down to whether or not the performance was enough to satisfy concerns, especially those coming from within his own party, that he has the stamina and acuity to do the difficult job of campaigning, never mind run the country for another four years.

-- Newsweek's Carlo Versano

Biden tries to calm those concerned he'll have another 'bad night'

President Joe Biden said the best way to reassure anyone who is concerned about him having another "bad night" is "the way I assure myself and that is: 'Am I getting the job done?'"

The president said "there's no indication yet" that he's slowing down on that front.

Biden had explained his poor debate performance against Trump last month by saying he had a "bad night."

Trump comments on Biden's news conference

Donald Trump is weighing in live on President Biden's news conference.

The presumptive GOP presidential nominee posted on his social media network a video clip of when Biden said "Vice President Trump."

Trump added sarcastically at the end: "Great job, Joe!"

Biden going strong for 30 minutes with only one major gaffe

President Joe Biden has managed to speak with only one major gaffe and amid a few coughs that have seemed to stop plaguing him as he continued to speak.

Biden has drifted off at points but has answered questions about economic policy and NATO with extended coherent responses.

Biden says he never suggested he needs an earlier bedtime: 'Pace myself'

President Joe Biden denies that he previously he needs to cut back on his schedule to get to bed by 8 p.m.

The president told reporters that, in previous conversations, what he meant was "it'd be smarter to pace myself a little bit."

He suggested that working from early in the morning until near midnight was probably not a great idea and suggested that evening fundraisers for his reelection campaign could begin an hour or two earlier going forward.

Biden also vowed that, ahead of his second debate with Trump in September, "I'm not going to be traveling 15 time zones."

"Pace myself. Pace myself," he said.

Biden responds defensively to reporter asking about the drama over his political fate

Asked whether the focus on his flubs and the pressure to drop out of the race has become damaging for the United States, President Joe Biden pushed back on the question.

"Have you seen a more successful conference?" he asked. "What do you think?"

Biden did not address the question, but he asserted that the just-concluded NATO summit was "the most successful conference I attended in a long time."

Biden insists he's not in presidential race 'for my legacy'

President Joe Biden was asked how it might hurt his place in the history books if he were to keep running and lose to Trump in November — but insisted he's not concerned.

Instead, his focus is continuing four more years of policies to grow the economy and help the middle class.

"I'm not in this for my legacy," Biden said. "I'm in this to complete the job I started."

Biden says Kamala Harris is 'qualified to be president'

President Joe Biden delivered a clear and direct response when asked about Kamala Harris' ability to be president.

"I wouldn't have picked her if she wasn't qualified to be president," Biden said.

Biden's second question from reporter about his earlier gaffe

President Joe Biden can't away from the gaffes.

With his first question being answered with a mistake referring to Kamala Harris as "Vice President Trump", the second question was centered around his earlier flub calling referring to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky as Putin.

Biden is now trying to answer his third question.

Joe Biden calls Kamala Harris 'Vice President Trump'

With the first question from a Reuters reporter, President Joe Biden has his first gaffe referring to Kamala Harris "Vice President Trump."

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Biden makes powerful NATO remarks

President Joe Biden began his press conference with remarks on NATO.

"For those who thought NATO's time had passed, they got a rude awakening with Putin invaded Ukraine."

Biden fights back coughs again

Similar to the debate with Donald Trump, President Joe Biden was still fighting back coughing attacks during the opening of his NATO speech.

President Biden finally starts press conference amid coughs

With a few stumbles and in between coughs, President Biden started speaking at the NATO press conference two hours than expected.

Taking their places ahead of high stakes press conference

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre arrive before President Joe Biden speaks at the high stakes news conference at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

Press conference is running late or on 'Biden Standard Time'

The high stakes press conference that was originally scheduled by the White House for 5:30 p.m. ET is now going on two hours delayed.

It's worth mentioning that President Biden is famously unpunctual.

Members of the White House press corps have referred to BST, or "Biden Standard Time," and typically wait for him for up to an hour. At a press conference in Switzerland two years ago, the president was over two hours later.

-- Newsweek's Carlo Versano

Opinion: The Really Bad News for Democrats? Despite His Debate Debacle, They Are Still Stuck With Biden

The debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump on Thursday evening made history, but not because of its unprecedented early date. Presidential debates have been a staple of every election cycle since 1976 and the one thing that you could always count on was that the two parties and all their operatives and media cheerleaders were all united in saying that their own candidate was great and their opponent was terrible.

But not last night. There have been bad, even disastrous debate performances in the past. President Gerald Ford liberated Soviet-occupied Poland in 1976 and President Barack Obama looked like he was bored and was clearly beaten by Mitt Romney in the first of their three debates. But in neither of those cases, did the spinners wave the white flag and concede that their candidate was beaten.

The President's shaky voice, intermittent confusion, inability to make coherent points or to use all the time available to him to attack Trump or defend his record was so glaringly obvious that not even those paid to give the Democratic take on things were able to pretend that it wasn't a disaster.

READ MORE from Newsweek's Jonathan Tobin

Joe Biden Pressured to Radically Change Platform as Democrats Revolt

President Joe Biden, who has been under scrutiny by the Democratic Party since his debate performance last month, is facing pressure from progressives to shake up his platform and include agenda items like Medicare for All, among other initiatives.

On Thursday, California Representative Ro Khanna criticized the Biden reelection campaign and its agenda at Netroots Nation, a progressive political convention in Baltimore.

Speaking on a panel organized by Our Revolution to discuss the path forward for progressive Democrats in the 2024 election, Khanna said, "What's most missing [in Biden's campaign] is not the correct pronunciation of every sentence, what is most missing is a bold vision for 2024, what we will do when we win."

Khanna, the former co-chair of Senator Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign, didn't call for the president to drop out of the race, but instead urged the campaign to adopt a more progressive policy agenda to attract progressive voters.

READ MORE from Newsweek's Mandy Taheri

Biden's 15th solo press conference

President Joe Biden's highly anticipated press conference just weeks after his debate debacle will his 15th solo event during his tenure.

His last solo press event was on Nov. 15, 2023.

Biden met with China's President Xi Jinping and reportedly left the meeting optimistic that he had reduced tensions between U.S. and Chinese forces in the Asia-Pacific. The president's press conference for the summit lasted about 20 minutes, and he answered roughly five questions before leaving.

Reports: Nancy Pelosi working behind the scenes to get Biden to reconsider presidential bid

The Hill is reporting Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi is working furiously behind the scenes to put pressure on President Joe Biden to reconsider his place at the top of the 2024 ticket, according to a number of Democratic lawmakers.

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What's up next for Biden?

President Joe Biden returns to the campaign trail with a trip to Michigan on Friday.

He will also do an interview with NBC on Monday.

How many questions will Biden take during press conference?

That's not set in stone, and there's not a ton of precedent.

President Joe Biden hasn't held very many news conferences that aren't tied to a foreign leader's visit or trips abroad.

Typically, those are what's known in the business as a "2+2," meaning two reporters from the U.S. and two foreign reporters ask questions.

Will Biden know the questions ahead of press conference?

Aside from some apparent exceptions — like incidents in which two radio hosts said President Joe Biden's campaign sent them planned questions ahead of time — it's not standard practice for the president to know precisely what will come up during interviews or news conferences.

His aides prepare him for a host of possibilities based off the headlines of the day, so they're prepping him for the likelihood that journalists will want to ask about his fitness for office, the NATO summit or other topics.

How many people will be watching Biden's press conference?

Probably a lot of people.

CNN reported that 51 million people watched the Atlanta debate, which was in primetime, while more than 8 million people tuned in to watch Biden's ABC interview live.

The major news networks are now planning to air the press conference which will guarantee a significant number of eyes on Biden.

Biden's press conference will be a key test for him

President Joe Biden has a fresh opportunity Thursday to try to prove to the American public that he's capable of serving another four years after his shocking debate flop threw the future of his presidency into doubt. But Biden is not known as a master of the big rhetorical moment and his recent cleanup efforts have proved inadequate.

Biden, 81, will close out the NATO summit in Washington — an event meant to showcase his leadership on the world stage — with a rare solo press conference. His stamina and effectiveness are under the microscope like never before and he's struggling to quell the Democratic Party's panic about his chances this November.

By many metrics, from job growth and major legislation to the expanded transatlantic alliance, Biden can point to successes during his tenure in office. But where he has sometimes failed — spectacularly, in the case of the debate — is at a defining part of the role that isn't in the official job description: delivering inspiring oratory that commands the attention and respect of the nation.

Biden has tried to step up his performance since the debate but his follow-up interview on ABC last week was disappointing. Nothing he's tried seems to be stopping the bleeding, with more lawmakers calling for him to bow out in the face of concerns that he could hand the White House back to Republican former President Donald Trump.

Americans tend to regard their leaders less for what they do than how they make them feel, and Biden's debate disaster has shaken his party to its core.

"The debate was a reminder that you can have as many policies as you want, but what the public sees and hears might matter more," said Julian Zelizer, a Princeton presidential historian.

-- Associated Press

Democratic calls for Biden to step aside mount: 'Pass the torch'

Rep. Greg Stanton of Arizona became the latest member of Congress to call on Biden to step out of the presidential race, a list that now numbers over a dozen.

Stanton said he was one of Biden's earliest supporters in 2020 but that it is now time for the president to "pass the torch" to new leaders. He said in a statement that Trump poses an "existential threat to the Constitution and the rule of law," and the Democrats need a candidate who can effectively make the case against him.

A former mayor of Phoenix, Stanton represents a Democratic-leaning suburban district that includes many of the state's most competitive precincts, where ticket-splitting voters helped fuel Democratic gains in the emerging swing state while backing moderate Republicans who have distinguished themselves from Trump.

Stanton is the second representative from the swing state of Arizona to ask Biden to step down from the top of the ticket.

Rep. Brad Schneider from Illinois is the lastest member of the House Democratic caucus to ask for Biden to step down as the nominee for president. Schneider, who has defended the president's record in recent days, says in a statement that he was proud to support Biden's campaign in 2020 but that now is the time for him to "secure his legacy and boldly deliver the nation to a new generation of leadership."

"In passing the torch now, President Biden has a chance to live up to this standard and seal his place in history as one of the greatest leaders our nation, and history, has ever known," the statement continued. "I fear if he fails to make the right choice, our democracy will hang in the balance."

-- Associated Press

Chris Matthews weighs in on Biden stepping down: 'Who's he gonna listen to, Jill or George Clooney?'

The mood among Democrats heading into this press conference could fairly be described as dour, especially after reports this afternoon that Biden's closest allies now "see his chances of winning as zero" and are increasingly of the belief there is no path forward for the campaign.

Chris Matthews thinks otherwise. The former MSNBC anchor and longtime political analyst made a forceful case today on the president's favorite cable news channel, arguing that Biden is "not built to quit" the race.

"Who's he gonna listen to, Jill or George Clooney?" Matthews said. "I'm telling you, it's personal."

"People are gonna end up rooting for him in October because he will have a comeback."

-- Newsweek's Carlo Versano

Biden's press conference now starting at 7 p.m.

President Biden's press conference is now expected to begin at 7 p.m. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

Biden's 'Putin' gaffe ahead of NATO press conference drawing criticism

The stakes are high for President Joe Biden ahead of his NATO press conference and his gaffe moments ago referring to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky as Putin is drawing fire.

Commentators and analysts are wondering if this is a sign for what to expect in a few minutes as Biden addresses the world.

The room, and Zelenskyy, gasped at Biden's gaffe, which the U.S. president quickly sought to clean up.

"President Putin? You're going to beat President Putin," Biden said to Zelenskyy at the event to mark the unveiling of an agreement called the Ukraine Compact. "I'm so focused on beating Putin; we got to worry about it," Biden explained.

Zelenskyy joked: "I'm better" than Putin.

Biden agreed. "You're a hell of a lot better."

Joe Biden Prompts Democrat to Question Who's Actually Running the Country

Democratic Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez questioned whether President Joe Biden is "making important decisions about our country" and asking the president to "do what he knows is right" on Thursday.

Biden has been under increasing pressure to withdraw his candidacy in this year's presidential election following a disastrous performance in last month's debate with former President Donald Trump. At least 17 sitting Democratic lawmakers had urged the president to step aside as of early Thursday evening.

Gluesenkamp Perez added her voice to the chorus of doubt about Biden's candidacy and fitness for office just before he was set to participate in a potentially consequential press conference at this year's NATO conference in Washington, D.C.

READ MORE from Newsweek's Aila Slisco

Biden introduces Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky as Putin at NATO event

President Joe Biden urged countries to stand with Ukraine during a NATO event before his much-anticipated press conference.

"We are united behind Ukraine," Biden said. "We will stand with them every step of the way."

He then introduced Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky by calling him Putin. Biden quickly caught himself and corrected he mistake.

READ MORE by Newsweek's Jenni Fink

Showdown between White House and press corps: 'The dogs are loose'

One thing to keep in mind as the world awaits the president and the White House reporters to assemble: this is a press corps that feels used and even deceived by the current administration.

Regardless of what you think about how the Washington media handled questions about Biden's age, there is no question that this is the lowest point of the press corps' relationship with this White House.

Just look at the yelling match that erupted in the briefing room earlier this week between and CBS News correspondent Ed O'Keefe – that kind of combative back-and-forth was something we were used to seeing during the Trump administration. It could signal what we're in for here in a couple of hours.

As a Biden official reportedly told Axios today: "The dogs are loose."

READ MORE from Newsweek

Joe Biden Gets Support From George Soros' Son Ahead of Key Press Conference

Alex Soros, the son of billionaire George Soros, has issued a warning to Democrats about the presidential election ahead of a pivotal press conference for President Joe Biden.

Democrats remain divided about whether Biden should step aside from the race after his debate performance against Donald Trump last month. Sounding hoarse, Biden, 81, stumbled through several answers and appeared to lose his train of thought at times, doing little to quell already existing concerns about his age.

An increasing number of high-profile Democrats, including several members of Congress, have urged Biden to withdraw from the race, arguing that another candidate, such as Vice President Kamala Harris, would be better suited to run against Trump. Some are waiting to see how Biden handles a press conference about the NATO summit on Thursday evening.

READ MORE from Newsweek's Andrew Stanton

Michelle Obama Fans Beg Her to Replace Joe Biden: 'Save Our Country'

Fans of former first lady Michelle Obama have urged her to replace President Joe Biden as the Democratic Party's nominee in the upcoming 2024 presidential election.

Obama, whose husband is former President Barack Obama, has never run for public or expressed an interest in becoming president—but there has been frequent speculation about a potential White House run.

Some social media users responded to a recent Facebook video Obama shared by calling on her to enter the presidential race. The comments come as President Biden has been under increasing pressure to step aside as the Democratic nominee following a lackluster performance during his June 27 presidential debate with former President Donald Trump.

READ MORE from Newsweek's Darragh Roche

Joe Biden Needs to Be Convinced of 3 Things to Step Aside: Report

In order for a new name to appear on the Democratic presidential ticket, longtime aides and advisers to President Joe Biden need to persuade him on three core points, according to the New York Times.

Since his poor debate performance on June 27, Biden has dropped in the polls, with the latest aggregate polling from FiveThirtyEight showing Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, leading Biden by 2.1 percentage points. However, Biden has repeatedly maintained that he can win the election and is fit for presidency.

His debate performance received widespread criticism among party members, which has increased pressure on the incumbent to drop out of the 2024 presidential race. Several congressional Democrats, including Democratic Senator Peter Welch, are urging him to step aside and allow a different candidate to take the party's nomination.

READ MORE from Newsweek's Many Taheri

Joe Biden Timeline Shows Key Turning Points in Presidency

President Joe Biden has had a rough couple of weeks.

His debate performance last month has put his reelection campaign into crisis. Some of his allies have abandoned him, prominent Democrats are publicly calling for him to step down, and he's had to issue several defiant statements pushing back on the idea that he'll withdraw from the race.

But Biden's downfall did not begin on the debate stage in Atlanta. The president's approval rating has long been an issue for his campaign.

READ MORE from Newsweek's Katherine Fung

Joe Biden Radio Interview Had 16 Seconds Removed, Station Reveals

A radio station in Madison, Wisconsin, said that its interview with President Joe Biden last week was edited by 16 seconds before it went on the air.

According to a statement from Civic Media CEO Sage Weil, the interview between Biden and radio host Earl Ingram was recorded on July 3 and aired on July 4 on stations across Wisconsin. On Monday, however, Civic Media management said it learned that "immediately after the phone interview was recorded, the Biden campaign called and asked for two edits to the recording before it aired."

The edits were made by the station's production team, which viewed the edits to be "non-substantive," Weil said.

READ MORE from Newsweek's Kaitlin Lewis

Joe Biden's day at NATO Summit in photos

President Joe Biden spoke during a meeting Thursday with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky at the NATO summit and participated in other talks with world leaders.

Joe Biden Sparks Fears of Donald Trump Getting Control of Congress

President Joe Biden's post-debate polling has sparked concerns among Democrats that Republicans could take full control of Congress in the November elections.

Biden is facing calls from many Democrats to withdraw from the election following his debate performance against former President Donald Trump last month, in which he sounded hoarse and stumbled through several answers, doing little to dispel concerns about his age. A growing number of Congressional Democrats are calling on him to step aside as polls show him continuing to trail Trump in key swing states.

Polls suggest Trump continues to hold a lead over Biden in the national popular vote, as well as in key swing states, sparking concerns from some Democrats about how this could affect swing state and district Democrats.

READ MORE from Newsweek's Andrew Stanton

Joe Biden's Chances of Beating Donald Trump in New York, According to Polls

Joe Biden remains the clear favorite to beat Donald Trump in New York in the 2024 presidential election, despite some Democrats raising concerns about the president's dipping poll numbers in the blue stronghold.

On Wednesday, Politico reported that a number of Democrats have expressed fears about the state of the White House race, where Biden beat Trump by 23-points in 2020, as well as what the president's sliding support may mean for down ballot contests.

The alarm comes after two private polls conducted in a swing New York House Congressional District from September 2023 and March, seen by Politico, showed that Trump had a gained a 1-point lead over Biden. Those polls were conducted months before Biden began facing a number of calls to end his reelection bid in the wake of his maligned performance in the CNN debate on June 27.

"We're still acting like this is a one-party state, which for pretty much 20, 25 years it has been," Democratic Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine said, according to the news outlet. "I truly believe we're a battleground state now."

READ MORE by Newsweek's Ewan Palmer

Joe Biden Impeachment on Hold as Democrats 'Destroying Themselves'

As the House Republican impeachment report on President Joe Biden nears completion, some Republican leaders are suggesting a delay in its release as the Democrats are "destroying themselves" with the debate over Biden's reelection bid, according to Representative James Comer.

Over the past several months, House Republicans have investigated President Biden over allegations that he was involved with and benefited from his son Hunter Biden's foreign business dealings. The White House has repeatedly denied that Joe Biden had anything to do with his son's dealings.

READ MORE from Newsweek's Mandy Taheri

Biden Campaign's Kamala Harris Survey Leaves 2 Key Questions Unanswered

Two critical questions remain unanswered as President Joe Biden's campaign polls how Vice President Kamala Harris could perform in a head-to-head contest against Donald Trump, according to a new report by The New York Times.

Biden has faced mounting calls from Democrats to step aside from pursuing his party's 2024 nomination since a disastrous debate performance two weeks ago on June 27. Long-standing concerns from many voters about the president's mental acuity and ability to defeat Trump in November exploded after the debate, with a growing list of House and Senate Democrats publicly and privately urging Biden to step aside.

The Times on Thursday reported that the campaign has started polling how Harris could perform against Trump, citing three unnamed sources. However, those sources did not disclose two key details regarding the new survey.

READ MORE from Newsweek's Jason Lemon

'Morning Joe' Host Claims Barack Obama 'Working Behind the Scenes' to Undermine Biden

Former President Barack Obama is "working behind the scenes" to undermine President Joe Biden's reelection campaign, Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough said Thursday morning.

Democrats remain divided after Biden's shaky debate performance against former President Donald Trump last month. Some prominent Democrats, including several of Biden's colleagues on Capitol Hill, have called for the president to drop out of the presidential race and allow another Democrat to run for the party's nomination.

Biden has repeatedly vowed to stay in the race, telling ABC News' George Stephanopoulos in an interview released last week that he will drop out only if God tells him to.

On Thursday's show, Scarborough and his co-host and wife, Mika Brzezinski, implied that Obama encouraged actor George Clooney to write his recent New York Times op-ed calling for Biden to step down from his campaign.

"Are you saying that Barack Obama put him up to this?" Scarborough asked Brzezinski.

READ FULL STORY by Newsweek's Rachel Dobkin.

Press conference comes amid calls for Biden to drop out of race mount

The pressure is on for President Joe Biden to deliver coherent answers during the NATO press conference on Thursday. Weeks after his debate debacle, the calls for Biden to drop out of the 2024 election mount.

Actor George Clooney broke his silence Wednesday on Biden's run for a second term in a published opinion piece.

The actor and filmmaker's New York Times op-ed, "I Love Joe Biden. But We Need a New Nominee," said he is a "lifelong Democrat" and a Biden admirer.

"I love Joe Biden. As a senator. As a vice president and as president. I consider him a friend, and I believe in him. Believe in his character. Believe in his morals. In the last four years, he's won many of the battles he's faced," Clooney wrote.

READ FULL STORY by Newsweek's Matt Impelli

Biden and Zelensky share stage at NATO summit

Ahead of his much anticipated live press conference, President Joe Biden spoke during a meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Washington, Thursday.

Biden said earlier in the week as the summit got underway that Washington, Berlin and Bucharest would deliver three additional Patriot air defense batteries to Ukraine.

READ MORE by Newsweek's Ellie Cook