Biden stages hour-long press conference, takes multiple questions in bid to allay fears over mental decline

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Biden addresses 'limitations': 'I just have to pace myself a little more'

President Biden takes questions from reporters at his pivotal press conference as he faces growing bipartisan calls to drop out of the 2024 race.

President Biden held a roughly hour-long press conference and took multiple questions from reporters Thursday evening as he works to quell concerns over his mental fitness and age ahead of the presidential election in November. 

"I'm determined on running," Biden declared Thursday evening in his solo press conference that lasted roughly 58 minutes. 

Biden's press conference, dubbed by the media and repeated by the White House as the president's "big boy press conference," was a high-stakes public event as voters and traditional Democratic allies increasingly spoke out this week that Biden's mental acuity and age could or should prevent him from seeking re-election. The press conference follows Biden hosting NATO leaders in Washington, D.C., for the 75th anniversary of NATO. 

"Am I getting the job done? Can you name me somebody who's got more major pieces of legislation passed in three and a half years? I created 2,000 jobs just last week. So if I slow down, I can't get the job done," Biden told the media of him remaining in the race. "That's a sign that I shouldn't be doing it. But there's no indication of that yet. None."

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US President Joe Biden at a news conference during the NATO Summit in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, July 11, 2024.  (Getty Images)

The press conference included a handful of gaffes from the president, including appearing to confuse Vice President Kamala Harris with former President Donald Trump, holding up a list of reporters he was instructed to call on, and repeatedly saying "anyway" while trailing off from a specific thought. 

"Look, I wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president [if I thought] she's not qualified to be president," Biden said, not appearing to catch his mistake.

Conservatives panned the press conference as "another disaster" under the president's belt, while some Democrats and allies of the administration defended the press event as a "very strong performance."

"This is a very strong performance. Quite frankly. ⁦@POTUS⁩ is putting on a master class in how foreign policy and domestic policy intersect, explaining how crucial American global leadership is to our people here at home. Well done, Mr. President," Democratic strategist Joel Rubin posted on X. 

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Rubin was echoed by other Democrats, who argued Biden responded with strength as he fielded a bevy of questions from the media surrounding his foreign policy related to NATO and his mental acuity. 

Conservatives, meanwhile, overwhelmingly panned the press conference, citing the president's handful of gaffes. 

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Biden said during the press conference that Harris could fulfill the role of president, despite pushing against calls for him to bow out of the race and pass the mantle to his veep. 

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"First of all, the way she's handled the issue of freedom of women's bodies to have control over their bodies. Secondly, her ability to handle almost any issue on the board. This was a hell of a prosecutor. She was a first-rate person, and in the Senate, she was really good," Biden said.

"I wouldn't have picked her unless I thought she was qualified to be president. From the very beginning. I made no bones about that. She is qualified to be president. That's why I picked her," Biden said.

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US President Joe Biden at a news conference during the NATO Summit in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, July 11, 2024.  (Getty Images)

Biden's press conference followed another gaffe earlier in the day, when he confused Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

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"And now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination," Biden said. "Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin." 

Biden quickly corrected himself, saying: "President Putin? We’re going to beat President Putin – President Zelenskyy. I’m so focused on beating Putin, we got to worry about it."

"I’m better," Zelenskyy quipped back. 

"You are a hell of a lot better," Biden responded.

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Concerns surrounding Biden’s health and mental fitness are at a fever pitch this summer, as some Democrats call on him to quit the presidential race following his disastrous debate against Trump last month. Biden has rejected calls to drop out, vowing to remain in the race as his campaign and the White House ramp up his number of public events in an apparent effort to quell concerns the president isn’t up for another four-year term in the Oval Office.