Biden has slips but shows better performance at news conference

YEREVAN, JULY 12, ARMENPRESS. U.S. President Joe Biden held a news conference on Thursday to reassure a disheartened group of Democratic lawmakers, allies and persuadable voters in this year’s election that he still has the strength and stamina to be president, the Associated Press reports.

Following his feeble performance against former president Donald Trump, 81-year old Biden reassured at the news conference that he can win the election.

Perhaps Biden’s biggest slip-up in the press conference came early on when he referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump,” in saying he picked her because he believed she could beat Trump.

“I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president did I think she was not qualified to be president,” Biden said.

At the same time, he repeatedly said, “I’ve got to finish this job.”

Even before the news conference, Biden had bungled an important name at the NATO summit, introducing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as "President Putin", prompting gasps in the audience.

“Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin,” Biden said, immediately correcting himself: “President Putin? You’re going to beat President Putin.”

On the other hand, Biden demonstrated command of foreign policy, avoided the repeat of the worst moments of his debate performance, praised the just finished NATO summit as elevating America’s standing, spoke about the easing of inflation from its 2022 peak and creation of 800,000 manufacturing jobs under his watch. The U.S. president answered questions in detail — unlike at the debate.

However, minutes after the news conference finished, several more Democratic members of Congress publicly called on Biden to step down, joining at least a dozen other lawmakers in the president's own party who have done so.