Biden delivers strong, insightful performance in closely watched press conference

President Joe Biden faced off with a large number of journalists on Thursday afternoon in his first press conference following a troubling performance in the first presidential debate. With a growing number of Democrats in Congress either calling for Biden to withdraw as a candidate or expressing concern about his ability to defeat Donald Trump in the fall, this press conference took on an outsized importance for the 2024 election.

Biden opened his appearance with a clear rundown of the good news of the day: an economy that just keeps getting better, the success of the just-concluded NATO summit, and the improving chances for peace in Gaza. Throughout this opening, Biden was strong in describing the importance of NATO to both Europe and the United States. He also pointed out the threat that Trump represents through his efforts to undermine the NATO alliance and appease Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

As Biden moved on to the question-and-answer portion of the press conference, most of the queries were—as expected—about the questions that have swirled around his candidacy since the debate, and whether he felt that Vice President Kamala Harris is prepared to step into the lead. Biden was firm in stating that Harris was completely prepared to be president “or I wouldn’t have picked her,” but was consistent in defense of his ability to do the job.

If I were Biden at this conference right now, I’d say something like, “You know, my memory must be going because I swear I’ve answered the same question at least four or five times.”

— Ana Marie Cox (@anamariecox.bsky.social) Jul 11, 2024 at 4:49 PM