In a high stakes showdown on Thursday evening, President Joe Biden faced the press corps for nearly an hour, addressing tough questions from 11 outlets. Despite some stylistic flaws, such as mixing up Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with Vladimir Putin and referring to Vice President Kamala Harris as Donald Trump, Biden displayed a strong command of complex foreign policy matters. This marked Biden’s first solo press conference of 2024, following calls from some Democratic lawmakers for him to step aside and abandon his bid for a second term.
The press conference was eagerly anticipated by journalists covering the White House, who had been seeking an opportunity to question Biden directly about his fitness for office and intentions for seeking reelection. While Biden mostly stayed on message and demonstrated a deep understanding of the issues, some reporters felt that little new information was extracted from him during the event.
Veteran media critic Bill Carter noted that it was curious Biden did not hold a press conference sooner to address concerns following his poor debate performance. With naysayers steadily gaining momentum and calls for him to withdraw from the race increasing, it remains to be seen whether Biden’s performance at the press conference will be enough to sway opinions.
Following the press conference, Rep. Jim Himes, ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, called on Biden to drop out of the race. Reports from CBS News and CNN indicated that more Democratic lawmakers may issue similar statements in the coming days, with concerns about Biden’s campaign being raised by figures such as Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi. While Biden’s performance at the press conference was strong, the question remains whether it is too late to change the trajectory of his campaign. Time will tell.
