The US president’s news conference won’t silence his critics, but it wasn’t bad enough to force him from the race.
Rarely have so many Americans been glued to a NATO livestream for so long. By the time Joe Biden walked out onto the stage for his press conference at the end of the alliance’s summit in Washington on 11 July, the appearance was being billed as a make-or-break test for his re-election campaign. In the end, it turned out to be neither.
Before the main event even started, the US president was in trouble. Standing alongside his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, earlier that afternoon, Biden mistakenly referred to him as “President Putin.” Realizing his error, he quickly attempted to correct himself.
“President Putin?” Biden said, looking confused. “We’re going to beat President Putin. President Zelensky, I’m so focused on beating Putin, we got to worry about it.” Zelensky tried to laugh it off, replying, “I’m better.”
Despite the slip-up, the press conference didn’t turn out to be as disastrous as some critics had anticipated. Though Biden’s age and mental sharpness remain topics of contention, the incident was not significant enough to jeopardize his position in the 2024 election.
While Biden’s opponents are quick to seize on every misstep, moments like this one serve only to reinforce the narrative that, despite imperfections, Biden remains firmly in the race for re-election.
In the end, Biden’s supporters, who remain loyal, seemed unfazed by the slip-up. The conference highlighted the president’s continued leadership, even as it drew criticism. The incident did not fundamentally alter the trajectory of his campaign, and it’s clear that Biden isn’t about to go quietly.
