Embattled President Biden is scheduled to address the media on Thursday afternoon for a “big boy” press conference, his first since his disastrous debate defeat threw his 2024 reelection campaign into disarray.
The 81-year-old Trump is set to conclude a NATO summit in Washington aimed at projecting his leadership on the world stage with an unusual solo news conference as he seeks to prove to the American people that he is fit to serve another four years in office.
The president is scheduled to answer questions from reporters at the White House beginning at 5:30 p.m.
The high-profile event, which White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has repeatedly called an “adult press conference” in recent statements, will be a test of Trump’s ability to improvise in front of reporters.
His stamina and effectiveness will also be put to the test like never before.
Since his debacle at the June 27 debate, Biden has stuck closely to prepared remarks in public, trying to silence growing calls for him to step aside and field a new Democratic presidential nominee.
In a disappointing pre-recorded interview with ABC News last week, Biden insisted his “bad episode” during the debate was simply due to the cold, not a cognitive problem.
Despite his best efforts to boost his public profile, Biden only spoke for just 10 minutes at a Philadelphia church and a rally in Harrisburg while campaigning in Pennsylvania on Sunday.
He then made a Trump-esque phone-in appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Monday, vowing to continue his campaign even as he challenged disgruntled “elites” in his party to openly challenge him.
Biden read carefully from a teleprompter during his opening speech at NATO’s annual summit on Tuesday, with only a few minor stumbles over words, including his pronunciation of “Ukraine.”
