Biden dropout watch: What the press conference did and didn't clarify

With the future of his re-election campaign in doubt, President Joe Biden made a very unusual move for him on Thursday: he answered a lot of questions from reporters at a news conference.

The news conference, at the close of this week's NATO summit in Washington, went well for Biden. He took questions for about an hour, talking about various foreign policy, economic and political issues. Some of his foreign policy responses, in particular, were praised as detailed and substantive.

Now, at one point he mentioned “Vice President Trump” when he meant “Vice President Harris.” And at an earlier event he accidentally introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin.” But they were mere slips of the tongue and did not arise from substantial confusion: Biden spoke at length about the war between Ukraine and Russia and about Harris' qualifications.

Biden's performance wasn't exactly dominant, but he never seemed lost or completely out of it, as he did at moments in the debate. He did very well.

The question is whether “good” is good enough to stem what is becoming a tidal wave of Democratic calls to step aside.

Just a few days earlier, it appeared that Biden had managed to weather the storm over his poor debate performance. But there was a flurry of bad news Wednesday and ahead of Thursday's press conference.

Your fundraising is plummeting. His own campaign aides are telling reporters I should quit. More Democrats they have gone out publicly against him to stay in the race, with one going so far how to say should resign from the presidency. Reports circulated that the main party figures: Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers – have not privately supported Biden.

Biden's team had announced plans for the presser last week, as part of a strategy for the president to demonstrate his fitness by holding more unscripted public events. In addition to his ABC News interview last week and a call chat with MSNBC's good morning joe program, the president called two local radio stations last week. But radio interviews became problematic when this it was reported that the Biden campaign had drafted the questions the hosts would ask and that the campaign had asked that two comments that Biden made be removed.

Then, as the NATO press conference approached, leaks suggested that even if it went well, it might not help much. Axios' Andrew Solender reported that House Democrats were about to issue “a flood of new statements urging Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 race,” no matter how the presser goes.

CBS News' Margaret Brennan said that “dozens” of such statements were expected from lawmakers in a planned coordinated effort, and that one source predicted that, by next week, Biden would find it untenable to stay on the ticket.

At the press conference, Biden expressed full confidence that everything would go well for his campaign.

Asked if he would release delegates at the Democratic convention who pledged to support someone else, Biden said those delegates were “free to do whatever they want.” If delegates decide at the convention to support someone else, that would be democracy in action, he said, but “that's not going to happen.”

When asked what would prompt him to end his campaign, he said he would only do so if his advisers told him there was “no way to win.” But, he added, “No one is saying that.”

Other presidents, he claimed, had been behind at this point more than he was now. He would campaign hard and change things.

“We're just going to keep moving,” he said.

Shortly after the press conference ended, Representative Jim Himes (D-CT) issued a statement calling President Biden “a remarkable leader.”

“I hope,” added Rep. Himes, that he “steps away from the presidential campaign.”

Which means that, despite the press, Thursday ended close to where it started: with Democrats deadlocked between a party skeptical of their nominee and a candidate determined to stay in the race.