Joe Biden took to the stage at his Thursday night news conference with everything on the line – his presidency, his re-election hopes, his political life. If those were the stakes, he barely acknowledged them at the hour-long session to mark the end of a Nato summit, having earlier introduced Ukraine’s President Zelensky as “President Putin” at a separate event. The news conference was his first unscripted appearance after a disastrous debate with his rival Donald Trump, leading to calls from several Democratic politicians and donors for him to drop out of the race for president. Mr Biden, 81, has faced continuous questions over his age and ability to serve another term, which intensified after the debate. But at the highly anticipated news conference, he dismissed the concerns about his campaign that were posed again and again by a room full of reporters, and promised that he was fighting not for his legacy, but to finish the job he started when he took office in 2021. “If I slow down and can’t get the job done, that’s a sign I shouldn’t be doing it,” he said. “But there’s no indication of that yet.” Depending on perspective, it was either a sign of dogged determination or of a man in denial about how dire his situation has become. Minutes after the news conference finished, several more Democratic members of Congress publicly called on Mr Biden to step down, joining at least a dozen other lawmakers in the president’s own party who have done so. The question for Joe Biden’s campaign is whether the floodgates will now open, or if the tide will hold. The situation will not be helped by two excruciating gaffes that will be remembered by anyone who watched. In his very first answer, he called his own Vice-President Kamala Harris “Vice-President Trump” – a painful faceplant in front of a national television audience. That came just an hour after another headline-grabbing mistake at a Nato event, when Mr Biden introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin”, prompting loud gasps in the audience.

He corrected the first verbal misstep involving Ukraine’s leader quickly. The second one he didn’t catch, even as some reporters in the room murmured in surprise and several of his top Cabinet secretaries sat stone-faced in the front row of the audience. Those moments - the only major stumbles in an otherwise steady if not vigorous, appearance - will surely prompt nervous Democrats to wonder if there are more gaffes to come if the president presses ahead with his campaign. But for now at least, Mr Biden seemed the happy warrior, insisting he will push on. He laughed and smiled as he was peppered with questions, and said he could keep up with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping, even if the hoarseness and cough that had been on display during his debate two weeks ago still appeared to linger. He again insisted he didn’t need cognitive tests, telling reporters that if he even saw “two doctors or seven”, his critics wouldn’t be satisfied. The election campaign, he said, had barely started, and he again repeated that he was confident he could beat Donald Trump in November’s election. The Democratic delegates who will back him officially as the party’s nominee at next month’s convention were free to change their minds as they pleased, he said, before mock whispering: “It’s not going to happen.” He said he would consider stepping aside if his staff gave him data that he couldn’t win, but that polls still show the race a dead heat. In that regard, he is on firm ground. An Ipsos survey released earlier on Thursday, for instance, had Mr Biden only one point behind his opponent – well within the margin of error. If there’s one thing that has been clear since the start of the year, support for the two candidates has remained remarkably stable despite unprecedented drama surrounding both men. Polling alone won’t calm the panic that has set in among many Democratic officials, however, and the storm clouds that linger around Biden’s campaign won’t be so easily dispelled. More Democratic politicians are waiting in the wings, according to reports, poised to announce their own break with the president, having waited until the conclusion of this Nato summit to voice their concerns. And that’s just the first round of tests for the embattled president. He has another high-profile sit-down interview, with NBC’s Lester Holt, on Monday. Donors are anxious, and earlier on Thursday several reports suggested that even figures in the president’s own campaign were plotting ways to usher their candidate toward the exit. Despite all of this, Mr Biden made clear that it will be a challenging task to pry the nomination away from him. The 81-year-old man who at times gripped the lectern with two hands and insisted he was the “best-qualified person” to run the country is not going to exit the stage quietly.

  • dan1101@lemm.ee
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    3 months ago

    It’s not like the president does everything personally. It comes down to administrations to me, Would I rather be governed by a Trump administration or a Biden administration? Definitely Biden for me.

    • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      The conversation is if Biden should be the candidate.

      The fact that people can’t say a single good thing about Biden without comparing him to trump…

      Should be enough for everyone to realize those things are true for anyone else that would run.

      Leaving no valid reason Biden should be the nominee.

      This election is too important to just let Joe have another go

      • dan1101@lemm.ee
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        3 months ago

        I can say good things about Biden. I think Biden’s positions on most issues (except Israel) and his administration are fine.

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          I can say good things about Biden. I think Biden’s positions on most issues (except Israel) and his administration are fine.

          Hey, if we just ignore the ongoing genocide Biden unequivocally supports and went around Congress to supply munitions to…

          His policy is “fine”!

          /s

          Like, bruh…

          The only thing you specifically mentioned was the bad shit

          You literally didn’t say a single good thing about Biden, even when you apparently just put a non-zero amount of thought into coming up with a single good thing…

          That doesn’t concern you at all about the quality of candidate?

          • dan1101@lemm.ee
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            3 months ago

            Biden expanded overtime pay guarantees for millions of workers, offered legal immigrant status to 500,000 spouses of US citizens who have lived in the US at least 10 years, has so far prevented a recession, expanded access to over-the-counter contraceptives, expanded renewable energy programs, with the CFPB saved citizens billions of dollars of junk bank fees (and got the current Supreme Court to uphold the CFPB), worked with a bipartisan group of senators to reform the election process to help prevent another Jan 6 type stunt, and the Inflation Reduction Act which includes funding for things like the study of greenhouse gas effects on farming and a 50% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The Biden administration does things to help citizens.

            • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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              3 months ago

              How much of that is legislation he just didn’t veto?

              Like what has Biden actually done. Not “what has Biden taken credit for”?

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                You asked for proof, got it, and don’t come back with anything except whataboutism?

                Gtfo with that shit.

                Where is your proof that much of that info was only stuff Biden vetoed?

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    Biden has been a gaff machine for his entire career. The fact that everyone is making such a big deal about it at this point is bizarre.

    • Krono@lemmy.today
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      Compare any Biden debate or press conference performance from before 2016 to what he looks like now.

      The issue isn’t the gaffes, it’s the obvious cognitive decline.

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    “Tired old man does things any human would do if they were tired, is he fit for office? Never mind all the gaffs that previous republican presidents have said or done, including the other guy, who said let’s inject sunlight directly into the veins, or more recently went on an incoherent rant in the middle of a rally about airports, and is also a convicted felon and rapist. Let’s focus on word fumbles”

    I mean, if you’re getting the microscope out to dissect this candidate, might as throw the other one on there as well. But then the press wouldn’t be fair and honest to their god king and overlord, his holy orangness of poo.

    • PugJesus@lemmy.world
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      Tired old man does things any human would do if they were tired, is he fit for office?

      Unfortunately, the fact that Dem Congresscritters have spoken up publicly asking him to step down means that:

      1. Private channels are exhausted

      2. Things are royally fucked.

      Regardless of whether or not he is fit for office, those who are most dependent on a Dem ticket victory no longer have confidence in his ability to deliver it. That alone would be fatal. We need to get Biden to step down.

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        My whole point is the press is failing at being non-bias, otherwise they would mention all the atrocious things being said by the other guy that should be making people ask for him to step down. Our press is failing us, failing at reporting fairly and unbiasedly(if that’s even a word)

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          The press is attacking and scrambling because they got caught being complicit in hiding what Biden is.

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            The press has repeatedly attacked Biden for everything they possibly can. Remember when he tripped on a sandbag? A thing that could happen to literally anybody?

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            The news I read and what you read must be wildly different. I see a lot of articles about how unfit Biden is, how everyone is telling him to step down. I’m not arguing one side or another, just that I see attack articles against one side more than the other, and I see that as being biased when both side are equally open to be attacked.

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        “Congresscritters”

        That’s the end of this. If you’re saying shit like that you are not serious, or can’t think seriously enough to move beyond “critters”…

        If things are as “royally fucked” as you say then “congresscritters” is a laughingly insufficient take.

        • PugJesus@lemmy.world
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          Alright, I guess. If you would prefer to ignore an argument because you find one of the terms risible, that’s up to you. The rest of us? We’re going to be trying to deal with this shit and prevent fascism. You’re welcome to join anytime.

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            Self defeating language is self defeating. I too want to deal with this shit, hence not using kid language. Congresscritters implies a type of benign neglect in politics, like business as usual… it implies a lazy take and it ignores the actual malice present and gives a veneer of “just politics” happening.

            Facists aren’t “critters” those are squirrels.

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              Facists aren’t “critters” those are squirrels.

              I didn’t realize that I was talking about the GOP, rather than the Democrats.

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                I mean you mentioned fascists… What are you talking about? “Everyone is a critter” doesn’t help.

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                I mean you mentioned fascists… What ARE you talking about? “Everyone is a critter” doesn’t help.

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                  I mean you mentioned fascists

                  Yes, opposition to fascists - the Republican Party - is important, and it would be wonderful if people would join in the effort to defeat them.

                  What ARE you talking about?

                  … that sitting Dem Congressmembers have called on Biden to step down for the good of the party, and that a loss of faith that serious by the party would be an incredible millstone around the campaign’s neck even if Biden was completely, 100% fine, and it was all media spin. And that, furthermore, as those Congressmembers are self-interested in having a Democratic president win at all costs, and better placed than most to read the electorate, and have personal exposure to Biden and thus a better view than most as to whether he is up to the task of a presidential campaign, their opinions are not minor; in fact, they are very major and troubling enough that it should absolutely give you pause as to whether Biden continuing his campaign is a good idea.

                • Maeve@kbin.earth
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                  3 months ago

                  The guy is not one of my fans, but I’m still not going to focus on his word choice. Focus on important things.

    • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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      If you though it was just “word fumbles” you didn’t watch it…

      Which seems to be a common theme from Joe Biden supporters, hard to watch anything when your heads in the sand.

      The ones that watch his events. Don’t stay supporters for long.

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        I did watch, it was painful. Just as painful as watching the other guy who should also step down due the failing mental facilities. Yet no mention of how the other side is failing in the press. My point being the press is biased, and it’s getting worse everyday.

        • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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          My point being the press is biased, and it’s getting worse everyday.

          What is their bias??

          That both presidential candidate are unfit for office?

          And why are you acting like “the press” is a monolith?

          Most importantly:

          Why does Biden and his supporters sound more and more like trump every fucking day?

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            Why does Biden and his supporters sound more and more like trump every fucking day?

            That part. That’s what broke me. Ffs, if you must go militant, do it for the most good of most people who are also tired, without access to good food, health care at all, in most cases, and stable housing, not for less than the crumbs they used to throw us, when they actually saw us as a threat* to their very entrenched power. Make then earn the votes they seem to think they are entitled to, like they claim we think we are entitled to living wages, single payer, clean water, nutritious, decent food, clean air, homes, health care, time for adequate rest, recreation and taking care of personal responsibilities. Joe needs an 8 pm bedtime while most of us are running on empty, in every way.

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            You’re right, my generalization of the news we read is unfair, this article is at fault. A long time ago, reading newspapers, an article about a political candidate would normally have info on both candidates, showing contrast or similarities. I do not read many articles like that anymore, in this polarizing, “your on my team or against me” world. Equal representation and reporting time of the politicians under scrutiny is all I’m looking for.

            As for your last question of why Biden supporters sound like Trump, I have no idea what you are talking about.

            • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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              As for your last question of why Biden supporters sound like Trump, I have no idea what you are talking about

              They’re calling anyone not 100% loyal to Biden as a person republicans…

              Have been for a while now

              Used to just be voters, but they’re saying it about NYT, Clooney, Dem politicians, literally anyone thats not 100% for Biden is no longer a Dem in their eyes.

              You don’t see how that would make someone think of trumpets?

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                Well, that’s not me, and that’s not my issue with this article. You should not pledge fealty to anyone, let alone a political candidate. But if you are going to write an article about a reason one candidate is unfit, you should contrast/compare the other candidates in that article as well, for good or bad.

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                  Do you think there is any chance trump steps down because it’s what best for the party?

                  Or that the republican party boots trump?

                  Like, seriously, you think there is the tiniest chance either of those happen?

                  And that we should waste valuable time asking for it an expecting anything to happen?

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    He needed a home run. He didn’t get it. The party elite needs to overwhelmingly ask him to go.

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    fightback

    Come on, beeb. If you can’t spell in English, we’re all screwed.