President Biden stuttered while answering an opening question at a key news conference on Thursday and mistakenly referred to Vice President Harris as “President Trump.”
Biden, who has faced calls from some Democrats to withdraw from the party’s nomination, opened his news conference at the NATO summit by answering questions about concerns over his potential leadership.
“Separately, what concerns do you have about whether Vice President Harris could beat Donald Trump if she becomes the top candidate?” Reuters reporter Jeff Mason asked.
“Look, I wouldn’t have chosen President Trump as my vice president if I didn’t think she was qualified to be president,” Biden said, conflating his running mate with his opponent.
“Let’s start there,” he continued. “The fact is, I believe I am the best qualified person to run for president. I beat him once and I intend to win again.”
In a follow-up question, Biden praised Harris for her work on reproductive rights and her ability to “address just about every issue on the board.”
The confusion came shortly after Biden mistakenly referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as Russian leader “President Putin” and then corrected him.
When a reporter mentioned the mistake during a question-and-answer session at the press conference, Biden laughed it off.
“Have you ever seen a more successful meeting? What do you think?” Biden responded.
Biden’s stumble will be closely watched as he fends off calls within his party for him to withdraw as the Democratic nominee in November following a disastrous performance in last month’s debate. Democrats have expressed concern that Biden lacks the mental acuity and stamina to vigorously challenge former President Trump and make a compelling case to the American people.
Democrats will be closely watching Biden’s press conference on Thursday night to gauge his ability to answer reporters’ questions coherently and incisively, but some say one strong performance may not be enough to assuage voters’ concerns.
