Biden vows to ‘finish the job’ at high-profile press conference

Washington.- In a nearly hour-long press conference, President Biden offered a series of sometimes hesitant responses to reporters’ questions, but also demonstrated his mastery of foreign policy and avoided repeating the worst moments of the presidential debate two weeks ago, which sparked confusion in his party.

After initially reading from a teleprompter and then repeating his pledge to stay in the race, Mr. Biden tried to defuse some questions about his age and fitness for office, but at one point fumbled a question about Vice President Kamala Harris, saying he “would not have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president” if he didn’t have confidence in her. That came shortly after he introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin” at a NATO meeting.

The solo news conference, his first in eight months, was designed to show that he remains capable of the agility and resilience needed to pursue the case against former President Donald J. Trump. He appeared before reporters amid reports that some longtime advisers and allies are said to be considering ways to convince him to end his candidacy.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Another gaffe: Mr Biden’s gaffe about Ms Harris was followed by another stumble during the news conference, when the president said he – the American commander in chief – would consult “my commander in chief” on questions about arming Ukraine.
• Attacking Trump Biden opened his press conference by boasting about his accomplishments on the world stage and attacking former President Donald J. Trump. Biden highlighted falling inflation in the United States and sounded optimistic about the possibility of Hamas and Israel reaching an agreement to end the war in Gaza. At the end, when asked how he would respond to Trump noting the gaffe with Harris’ name, Biden said, “Listen to him,” implying that Trump says far more reprehensible things.
• Best-qualified: Most of the questions from reporters concerned Democratic calls for him to step aside, which he again rejected, insisting that “I think I’m the best-qualified person to do the job.” Also for the first time, Biden admitted that polls show “other people can beat Trump in the fall,” but added that “it’s hard to start from scratch.”
• China policy: The president gave a lengthy and detailed response to a question about economic and political competition with China, appearing more comfortable addressing the foreign policy issues at the center of the just-concluded NATO meeting in Washington.
• Political relations: Earlier in the day, Biden’s campaign sent staff members to Capitol Hill to meet with Democratic lawmakers in an effort to calm their nerves, even as more House members called on the president to step aside.
• Campaign tests Harris: The Biden campaign has begun testing Vice President Kamala Harris’s strength in a head-to-head matchup against former President Donald J. Trump, according to three people briefed on the voter survey who insisted on anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the information.