Joe Biden’s top officials struggled to maintain their composure as the president mistook Donald Trump for Kamala Harris last night, with dozens of Democratic lawmakers preparing to turn on him.
Biden also confused Ukrainian President Zelensky with his arch-enemy Vladimir Putin during a disastrous press conference, in which his fellow Democrats made a coordinated effort to publicly demand that he withdraw from the White House race.
The president was warned that he now faces a “tough” 48-hour deadline.
Former President Barack Obama held emergency talks with Nancy Pelosi, who had urged Biden’s critics to remain silent ahead of last night’s decisive NATO press conference.
Biden’s cabinet may have hoped the worst was over after their boss confused Russian President Putin with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Democratic sources said the president faces a brutal 48 hours as dozens of party lawmakers publicly call for his withdrawal after his blundering NATO news conference.
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken (left), Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan struggled to contain their reactions to the president’s latest gaffe.
But the cameras were on Anthony Blinken, Lloyd Austin and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan as the president made perhaps his biggest gaffe of the night.
“I would not have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president,” Biden told the watching world. “I don’t think she’s qualified to be president, so let’s start there, number one.”
Sullivan covered his mouth with his hand and Secretary of State Blinken cast a somber glance into the distance as the president’s re-election chances continued to dim.
Only Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin seemed to have his face under control. He looked at the commander in chief without blinking and even tried to nod slightly in agreement.
The trio were front and center at the press conference at the end of the NATO conference on Thursday evening, as calls for his resignation intensified.
The president insisted he will remain in the race, denied claims he is unfit for office and said there are no polls indicating he would lose to Trump in November’s general election.
But his performance did little to silence his critics. Another lawmaker, Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, called on Biden to step back from the campaign trail just minutes after the news conference ended.
CBS cited four Democratic insiders who claimed a coordinated party uprising is now underway and that Biden is expected to have to withdraw by the middle of next week.
Obama had previously tried to calm Democratic nerves after Biden’s disastrous presidential debate with Donald Trump last month, insisting that “there are bad debate nights.”
Democratic kingmakers Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi held emergency talks on Biden’s future as their previous support for the president appeared to wane
Donald Trump was quick to mock his rival’s latest missteps
But the 44th president reportedly did nothing to prevent his friend George Clooney from publishing a scathing op-ed earlier this week demanding that Biden withdraw.
Pelosi, too, had pledged her loyalty, but told MSNBC she would support Biden’s decision once he made it — days after he insisted he already had.
Two autocue screens, a list of vetted journalists and press officers with microphones, ready to silence difficult questions, formed the backdrop for last night’s press conference.
But even with the barriers of screens, meddling aides and an opening statement, Biden sometimes struggled with a hoarse throat, sloppy sentences and meandering answers.
He answered questions from 10 journalists and spoke for an hour on topics ranging from the Democratic Party Convention and his health to long-range weapons for Ukraine and how to deal with the emerging situation with China.
His allies and concerned Democratic loyalists wanted proof that he was still fit for duty.
He opened his news conference at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, where world leaders celebrated NATO’s 75th anniversary, with a telephone-recorded speech on the importance of alliances and a list of his accomplishments during his time in office.
But then came his first big blunder of the evening when he introduced the president of Ukraine.
“Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin,” he said, before realizing he was actually supposed to introduce President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is currently at war with Putin.
A gasp went through the room, some people shouting the correct name as the leader of the free world tried to rally.
“No, we are going to beat Putin,” he said, as if to suggest that he only had Putin in mind and was not really dealing with a senior moment.
The room, filled with about 100 journalists, all clutching phones with the text of their prepared questions, grew restless, fearing that his “press conference” was just a chance to talk to them and then leave.
“That answers your questions,” Biden said, to almost audible relief from his audience.
Biden’s latest press conference gaffes sparked a flood of memes
The painful reaction from Biden’s top officials was not lost on social media observers
“I’ve been given a list of people to call here: Reuters, Jeff Mason.”
He was immediately asked about George Clooney’s shocking intervention the day before, calling for him to resign. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said there was still time to decide whether he wanted to participate or not.
“There’s a long way to go in this campaign,” Biden said. “And so I’m just going to keep going, keep going.”
“And look, I have more work to do. We have more work to finish this.”
If Biden’s future hinged heavily on the NATO summit in Washington, it was partly because Biden wanted it to.
“I think a good way to judge me,” he told George Stephanopoulos on ABC last week, “is to see him at the top.
After his disastrous performance at the debate, some experts, including Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a leading CNN commentator, urged Biden to take a cognitive test.
Biden reflected on the benefits of getting older last night, while dismissing concerns about his stiff gait, which has fueled online speculation that he is suffering from symptoms related to Parkinson’s disease.
“I do have a little bit of an issue with my left foot, because I broke my foot and didn’t wear the boot,” Biden said, referring to the fracture he suffered in 2020.
“The only thing age does is create a little bit of wisdom, if you just pay attention,” Biden said.
But by the end of the campaign, the internet was awash with memes depicting “Vice President Trump,” and the pained response from Biden’s top officials has drawn as much scorn as admiration.
“That’s the look of ‘fuck, I need to update my resume..’,” wrote one Twitter user.
Biden has spent this week surrounded by the pomp and circumstance of NATO, hosting allied heads of state and government at the White House on Wednesday
A mixture of admiration and disdain greeted the officials’ attempts to maintain their composure
“Jake Sullivan watched billions of dollars in NSA and CIA pet projects fall apart,” wrote another.
‘Lloyd Austin was ice cold. That was impressive.’
Blinken came under increased scrutiny after he shook his head vigorously at undiplomatic comments from his boss at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum last November, calling Chinese leader Xi Jinping a “dictator.”
And Donald Trump immediately responded to Biden’s latest blunders.
Crooked Joe begins his ‘Big Boy’ press conference with: ‘I would not have chosen Vice President Trump as Vice President, even though I do not believe she was qualified to be President,’ he wrote.
“Good job, Joe!”
Biden’s X account tried to make the best of it, writing in response: ‘Btw: Yes, I know the difference. One is a prosecutor and the other is a criminal.’
