The Biden campaign was jubilant in celebrating the win after Biden’s highly anticipated NATO news conference on Thursday, arguing that the president not only met but exceeded expectations.
A Biden campaign official told Fox News Digital that Biden’s performance was what Americans expected, praising the president for his insightful answers to detailed questions about foreign policy, including topics related to the Russia-Ukraine war, China and other foreign policy issues.
The campaign also believes the performance proved Biden can handle Trump and is important to voters who believe substance matters over style and will ultimately be swayed by the actual value of what both candidates say.
His campaign said Biden clearly outlined the economic progress he has made under his administration and discussed complex foreign policy issues in a way that Trump could not.
Hungarian PM Orban skips NATO summit to meet with Donald Trump
President Biden spoke at a press conference during the NATO summit in Washington DC on Thursday. (Graham Sloane/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
At the news conference, Biden was peppered with questions from reporters about whether he was planning to resign amid growing pressure within his party following his dismal performance in last month’s debate.
Despite the positive reviews, campaign officials acknowledged that a one-night rally, whether a debate or a news conference, won’t make a big difference in poll numbers, and that voters will instead be swayed by active canvassing – door-to-door canvassing, phone calls, advertising and campaign trips – which Biden plans to do more of as part of an “all-out” schedule in the coming weeks.
Biden said he was “determined” to continue the campaign and argued he is the right person to serve as president now and for the next four years.
While some Democrats rushed to defend Biden’s NATO press conference, Republicans pointed to gaffes that day, including when Biden referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump.” Biden also referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin” just before the press conference, before correcting himself seconds later.
“President Putin? He’s going to beat President Putin. President Zelensky. I’m very focused on defeating Putin,” Biden said. “We have to worry about that. Anyway, Mr. President.”
Biden used the word “anyway” at least nine times to pause during press conferences
President Biden walks across the South Lawn to board Marine One before departing the White House in Washington, DC on December 8, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
The Trump campaign told Fox News Digital that they see the highly anticipated and scrutinized news conference as a win-win for the former president.
“Biden appears to have done enough to convince his defenders that he should remain on the ballot, while also reinforcing what the American people know: their lives are hurting every day by Biden’s weaknesses and failures,” a Trump campaign official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to speak freely, told Fox News Digital.
A majority of Americans want Biden to drop out of the race, including a majority of Biden’s own supporters. Thursday’s poll The news was released by ABC News and The Washington Post ahead of the press conference.
Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower in New York on May 30th after being found guilty of 34 counts of first-degree falsifying business records. (Felipe Ramares for Fox News Digital)
Sixty-seven percent of respondents said Biden should drop out of the race, and 85% said he is too old to serve a second term, while 60% said former President Trump is also too old to serve a second term, up from 44% in the spring of 2023.
Biden has remained defiant despite calls for him to resign, and a campaign spokesman aboard Air Force One said Friday that the donations he received on the night of the NATO press conference had been significant.
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“Since last night, we’ve seen strong support across our coalition.” the campaign said. “Most importantly, we see it at the grassroots level. We had nearly 40,000 donations last night alone. Donations spiked during the president’s press conference. In fact, they were seven times higher than the average during a press conference.”
The campaign also pushed back against critics who point to Biden’s long record of gaffes. 2 minutes The video highlights Trump’s mistakes during the election campaign and attempts to portray him as “weak.”
Fox News Digital’s Kyle Morris, Brooke Singman and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
