Biden’s mind is sure he needs to stay president. But his mouth is betraying him | Opinion
Finally, President Joe Biden met the press.
For the first time in eight months, he held a press conference Thursday following the close of the NATO summit. As expected, the focus was on the doubts surroundings Biden’s ability to beat former President Donald Trump.
It was a much-hyped event designed to assure voters that the president — who continues to lose the support of some top Democrats — is indeed capable of winning reelection and serving another four years.
Did Biden deliver?
Yes and no.
It was far better than his disastrous June 27 debate performance — something he referred to as “that stupid mistake.” He received praise for giving substantive answers to some tough questions, mostly on foreign affairs. Yet he seemed worn out, and practically out of the gate, he stumbled badly when he referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump.”
It didn’t help that earlier in the day, he had mistakenly referred to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “President Putin.”
Those are the kind of verbal slips all of us (or at least most of us) make from time to time. But 81-year-old Biden cannot afford to, not when he’s so politically vulnerable.
Unfortunately for Biden, that “Vice President Trump” gaffe will be the moment that will be remembered and replayed, not the cogent — albeit sometimes halting — responses he gave to policy questions.
Still, there were no “final straw” moments — nothing to seize on as indisputable evidence that the president is not fit to serve.
But Biden didn’t exactly inspire fresh confidence either, though he continued to insist that he is physically and mentally up to the challenge of serving four more years.
He even corrected a report that he had told Democratic governors that he needed more sleep, and would stop taking meetings after 8 p.m.
“That’s not true,” he said. “What I said was, instead of my every day starting at seven and going to bed at midnight, it’d be smarter for me to pace myself a little more.”
Biden defensively shrugged off the idea off having a neurological exam.
“I’m tested every single day about my neurological capacity, the decisions I make every day,” he said, echoing what he told he told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos during a one-on-one July 5 interview.
Biden did come across as slightly more humble than he did in that interview, when he claimed that he, and he alone, could beat Trump.
At the news conference, he said he is the best qualified to win, “but there are other people who could beat Trump too, but it’s awful hard to start from scratch.”
He made it clear that he will not bow out of the race, and doubled down on refusing to do the one thing that might dispel rumors — undergo medical and cognitive testing.
“Whatever I do,” he said, “no one is going to be satisfied.”
He is absolutely correct.
No matter how well he performs or how many campaign appearances he makes, many voters will still not be satisfied.
With so much at stake, Democrats cannot afford to lose this election. Joe Biden is a good man and he has been an effective president, but there are too many questions surrounding his ability to serve.
There are other potential candidates who can beat Donald Trump — if only the Democratic Party would have the political will to nominate one.
Sadly, President Joe Biden no longer belongs in this race.
