Biden's News Conference: A Mix of Defiance and Missteps

[Social Media]

 

In a much-anticipated solo news conference, President Joe Biden faced the White House press corps in an effort to reassure Democratic lawmakers, allies, and voters of his capability and resolve to remain in office. This event, designed to mitigate concerns following his less-than-stellar performance in the June 27 debate against Republican Donald Trump, saw Biden making detailed responses about his work and plans while also committing notable gaffes.

 

During the conference, Biden made two significant verbal missteps. He referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “President Putin” and mistakenly called Vice President Kamala Harris “Vice President Trump.” Despite these errors, Biden remained defiant, particularly when questioned about his reference to "Vice President Trump." He retorted, “Listen to him,” and walked off the stage, undeterred by the criticism.

 

Biden's determination to remain in the race was clear. “I’ve got to finish this job,” he repeatedly emphasized, underscoring his commitment despite growing calls from Democratic lawmakers for him to step aside. When asked if he would consider stepping down for Harris if polls indicated she had a better chance of defeating Trump, Biden responded with a firm “No,” adding in a stage whisper, “No poll’s saying that.”

 

The president attempted to pivot the focus from his verbal slip-ups to his substantive achievements and plans. He highlighted the just-concluded NATO summit, praising it as a significant boost to America’s standing on the global stage. “Have you ever seen a more successful conference?” he asked reporters, emphasizing his efforts to maintain and strengthen NATO. He also pointed to the easing of inflation from its 2022 peak and the creation of 800,000 manufacturing jobs as evidence of his administration’s success.

 

Biden’s responses during the press conference reflected his focus on foreign policy, a topic he is well-versed in and passionate about. He discussed his role in shepherding Finland into NATO and addressed the importance of pushing back against China for its support of Russia during the Ukraine conflict. His detailed recounting of these events aimed to demonstrate his continued capability to handle complex international issues.

 

However, the overarching purpose of the news conference was to reassure Democrats and the public that Biden remains fit for the presidency and capable of defeating Trump in the upcoming election. The focus on his strengths in foreign policy was an attempt to overshadow the ongoing concerns about his age and verbal slip-ups.

 

Throughout the conference, Biden often reverted to familiar talking points and anecdotes. He criticized trickle-down economics, lauded Delaware for its corporate leadership, and emphasized his pro-union stance. These rehearsed lines served to ground his responses in familiar territory, allowing him to avoid further spontaneous errors.

 

Despite the detailed answers and attempts to project strength, the event did not entirely dispel concerns about Biden’s performance and capabilities. The regular coughing, throat clearing, and occasional lowering of his voice to a hoarse whisper were reminders of the physical pressures he faces. Nevertheless, Biden’s insistence on staying in the race and his defiant attitude towards critics underscored his determination to lead and finish the job he started.

 

 

Credit: ABC News 2024-07-12

 

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[Tug]

Yup two tiny misspoken words .what impressed me was the full understanding of the material and the concise answers to the questions that was an excellent presser.i wish he was this good during the debate.he is indeed an older dude but he does have a grasp on things.light years ahead of trump in this regard 

Edited July 12 by Tug

[impulse]

Twitter and YouTube are blocked here.  Can someone confirm (or deny) this quote and then unpack it?  If it's accurate, Biden seems to claim he chose Kamala because she was not qualified...

 

“I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be Vice President if I didn’t think she was not qualified to be president,” Biden said after a reporter asked him about Kamala Harris being at the top of the ticket.

I still contend she was chosen as insurance against impeachment.  In which case, that would have been an accurate (and accidentally profound) statement, if you can overlook calling her VP Trump...

 

Edited July 12 by impulse

[jerrymahoney]

3 minutes ago, impulse said:

Twitter's blocked here.  Can someone confirm (or deny) this quote and then unpack it?

From NY Times:

 

After initially reading from a teleprompter then repeating his vow 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 that he “wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president” if he didn’t have confidence in her. That came shortly after he introduced President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine as “President Putin” at a NATO meeting

 

Personally, whatever coherency was exhibited today, this is a 4-year job starting JAN 2025.

Edited July 12 by jerrymahoney

[Hanaguma]

An utter disaster.

 

Consider this- ALL the questions and ALL the reporters called on to ask them were pre-scripted and pre-selected. Biden literally had a list of who to call and in what order. This was not a press conference by any stretch of the imagination. It was a kabuki theatre farce masquerading as a press conference, a Potemkin conference as it were.

 

And even so, he dropped the ball.  Plus Jean-Pierre at the end rushing to end it early, before he fully face planted.  The only takeaway is that he won't step down without a fight. That must have a lot of senior democrats filling their diapers at this point.

[impulse]

2 minutes ago, jerrymahoney said:

“wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president” if he didn’t have confidence in her.

 

Interesting placement of the quotation marks...  Do you have the exact quote?  NYT is known for carrying Biden's water.

 

Edited July 12 by impulse

[jerrymahoney]

8 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

Interesting placement of the quotation marks...  Do you have the exact quote?  NYT is known for carrying Biden's water.

 

Well it's a little early for a transcript but this from the NY Times:

 

THE EDITORIAL BOARD

To Serve His Country, President Biden Should Leave the Race
June 28, 2024

[stoner]

joe came out of the gate like someone that just did an 8 ball. then by the end he was fading fast and back to mumbo jumbo talk. 

 

why did joe biden yell at me on tv tonight mommy. 

[impulse]

7 minutes ago, jerrymahoney said:

Well it's a little early for a transcript but this from the NY Times:

 

THE EDITORIAL BOARD

To Serve His Country, President Biden Should Leave the Race
June 28, 2024

 

I no longer trust transcripts, especially the official ones.

 

Speaking of the MSM and carrying water for Biden, here's an interesting story from Washington Post columnist Megan McArdle:

 

“As a result, viewers of Fox News understood the president’s condition better than our (WaPo) audiences, which ought to be a huge wake-up call for us. 

 

Never thought I'd be reading that in a WaPo column.  Suck on that, MSM.

 

https://dailycaller.com/2024/07/11/wapo-columnist-left-wing-bias-biden-age-mental-acuity/

Edited July 12 by impulse

[stoner]

21 minutes ago, Tug said:

he is indeed an older dude but he does have a grasp on things.light years ahead of trump in this regard

 

as i said this is part of the reason that people fear ones like you tug. a totally ridiculous comment. back on planet earth the majority of humans disagree with you.

 

the blue maga is strong with you. 

 

disclaimer .....knock knock...whos there...me a non trump supporter. 

[Tug]

16 minutes ago, Hanaguma said:

An utter disaster.

 

Consider this- ALL the questions and ALL the reporters called on to ask them were pre-scripted and pre-selected. Biden literally had a list of who to call and in what order. This was not a press conference by any stretch of the imagination. It was a kabuki theatre farce masquerading as a press conference, a Potemkin conference as it were.

 

And even so, he dropped the ball.  Plus Jean-Pierre at the end rushing to end it early, before he fully face planted.  The only takeaway is that he won't step down without a fight. That must have a lot of senior democrats filling their diapers at this point.

Funny I watched it live dident see Jean for one second he showed the depth and breath of knowledge on the subjects covered I suggest you watch it but then again there’s a lot of folks that not calling Chris Christy a fat pig and windmills kill whales the horrors of having to flush twice…….are what’s needed to be president……I just loved it when he was talking about Finland and Sweden joining nato two top tier advanced nations incredibly well placed to block Putin’s expansion dreams 

[jerrymahoney]

9 minutes ago, impulse said:

I no longer trust transcripts, especially the official ones.

Sorry I bothered.

[HappyExpat57]

Did you notice no Fox reps were allowed to ask questions?

[impulse]

2 minutes ago, jerrymahoney said:

Sorry I bothered.

 

But did you, really?  I asked a very specific question.

 

[stoner]

5 minutes ago, Tug said:

30 minutes ago, Hanaguma said:

An utter disaster.

 

Consider this- ALL the questions and ALL the reporters called on to ask them were pre-scripted and pre-selected. Biden literally had a list of who to call and in what order. This was not a press conference by any stretch of the imagination. It was a kabuki theatre farce masquerading as a press conference, a Potemkin conference as it were.

 

And even so, he dropped the ball.  Plus Jean-Pierre at the end rushing to end it early, before he fully face planted.  The only takeaway is that he won't step down without a fight. That must have a lot of senior democrats filling their diapers at this point.

Funny I watched it live dident see Jean for one second

 

Funny I saw her in the front row tonight when I watched it live.shall I take a screen shot of it or can we just understand that she was there and you are willfully ignorant or lying.

[Hanaguma]

9 minutes ago, Tug said:

Funny I watched it live dident see Jean for one second he showed the depth and breath of knowledge on the subjects covered I suggest you watch it but then again there’s a lot of folks that not calling Chris Christy a fat pig and windmills kill whales the horrors of having to flush twice…….are what’s needed to be president……I just loved it when he was talking about Finland and Sweden joining nato two top tier advanced nations incredibly well placed to block Putin’s expansion dreams 

How quickly you deflect to "b-b-but Trump!".  Not surprising, but rather tedious.

 

Why do you think he needed a prepared list of reporters to call on, as well as a list of their questions? Do you think this is normal for a Presidential press conference?

[jerrymahoney]

8 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

But did you, really?  I asked a very specific question.

 

Here's the video. Watch it yourself:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfV9OpGaja8

[stoner]

20 minutes ago, Tug said:

Funny I watched it live dident see Jean for one second

 

this is an outright lie. she was clearly visible at the start of the press conference in the front row. 

[Hanaguma]

Amazing that this is called a press conference. I don't remember other presidents getting a list of pre-selected reporters to call. From my memory, a press conference is a free-for-all, with reporters shouting questions over each other, asking follow-up questions, and so on. This was staged and rehearsed. And still the President could not handle it.  

[HappyExpat57]

1 minute ago, Hanaguma said:

Amazing that this is called a press conference. I don't remember other presidents getting a list of pre-selected reporters to call. From my memory, a press conference is a free-for-all, with reporters shouting questions over each other, asking follow-up questions, and so on. This was staged and rehearsed. And still the President could not handle it.  

Well, he handled it just well enough to stave off a full Democratic coup.

 

And THAT'S where we're at - how bad did the Dem candidate screw up THIS time?

 

These are easily the two worst candidates in US history. Just sad to the core.

[theshu25]

As much as i despise the rapist,grifting conman .convicted felon Trump,   Joe has to go,he has lost it.

[Eric Loh]

12 minutes ago, HappyExpat57 said:

Well, he handled it just well enough to stave off a full Democratic coup.

 

And THAT'S where we're at - how bad did the Dem candidate screw up THIS time?

 

These are easily the two worst candidates in US history. Just sad to the core.

Quess you are right on this. Biden will be scrutinized each time he speak publicly while Trump worsening mental acuity at rallies and interview are accepted as normal and he does that continously. 

[Hanaguma]

16 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

Quess you are right on this. Biden will be scrutinized each time he speak publicly while Trump worsening mental acuity at rallies and interview are accepted as normal and he does that continously. 

Trump at least is entertaining. He still has good timing for his jokes and can speak extemporaneously.  Biden cant finish a sentence. He couldn't even finish the first sentence of his "press conference" without coughing.  Not to mention, I don't think I have seen a press conference where the President's cabinet and staff all sit in the front row.

[Hanaguma]

45 minutes ago, stoner said:

 

this is an outright lie. she was clearly visible at the start of the press conference in the front row. 

Yeah, center right as you look at the podium. Lots of cabinet members on the left. And probably Jill behind the curtain at the back with a loooong shepherd's crook ready to grab Joe if he starts malfunctioning.

[impulse]

48 minutes ago, jerrymahoney said:

Here's the video. Watch it yourself:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfV9OpGaja8

 

Thanks for that, and I apologize for being rude and getting off on the wrong foot.  But YouTube is blocked here, so I found the Fox News version...

 

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6357664139112

 

My quote comes from an "unapproved source":  “I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be Vice President if I didn’t think she was not qualified to be president,”   Looks like that may (or may not) have been accurate, the ambiguity being rather disturbing.

 

He mumbled enough that I'm sure the official White House transcript will be interesting. 

 

 

 

[Tug]

3 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

Thanks for that, and I apologize for being rude and getting off on the wrong foot.  But YouTube is blocked here, so I found the Fox News version...

 

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6357664139112

 

My quote comes from an "unapproved source":  “I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be Vice President if I didn’t think she was not qualified to be president,”   Looks like that may (or may not) have been accurate, the ambiguity being rather disturbing.

 

He mumbled enough that I'm sure the official White House transcript will be interesting. 

 

 

 

Yup he slipped twice did you listen to the rest of it?

[jerrymahoney]

5 minutes ago, impulse said:

Thanks for that, and I apologize for being rude and getting off on the wrong foot.  But YouTube is blocked here, so I found the Fox News version..

OK. I thought YouTube is blocked in China if that's where you are. If you really got stuck I was going to offer to make an mp3 of the Presser which you could download from here or PM.

 

Transcripts are always subject to opinion when dealing with a mumbler -- the NY Times and the White House are still venting on "goodest" vs. "good as" which is still jumbled anyway.

[bob smith]

what a complete and utter shambles that was.

 

I can't quite believe how bad it actually was..

 

How the hell is he the leader of the so called free world?

 

Jesus wept.

 

bob.

Edited July 12 by bob smith

[proton]

1 hour ago, Tug said:

Yup two tiny misspoken words .what impressed me was the full understanding of the material and the concise answers to the questions that was an excellent presser.i wish he was this good during the debate.he is indeed an older dude but he does have a grasp on things.light years ahead of trump in this regard 

 

Assume you are joking

[Eric Loh]

11 minutes ago, Hanaguma said:

Trump at least is entertaining. He still has good timing for his jokes and can speak extemporaneously.  Biden cant finish a sentence. He couldn't even finish the first sentence of his "press conference" without coughing.  Not to mention, I don't think I have seen a press conference where the President's cabinet and staff all sit in the front row.

Only the Maga supporters will see that as entertaining. The normal people see that as typical rambling, unhinged, and vituperative. Certainly not entertaining; maybe comedical and clownish.