Everything is at stake for Biden: Did his appearance at the press conference at the NATO summit save his candidacy? US media draw different conclusions.
The press conference of incumbent US President Joe Biden on Thursday on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington, DC was widely announced and eagerly awaited by media representatives. Since the disastrous debate about two weeks ago against his challenger, the previous US President Donald Trump, the discussion about Biden has become increasingly heated. In the opinion of many observers and commentators, his age is dominating the debate, and new editorials are appearing daily in the major US newspapers calling for Biden to step down in favor of a younger candidate.
Internal information from White House employees is also being widely reported, leaking sensitive information to the media while maintaining their anonymity, thus further fueling the rumors about Biden. After this Thursday’s appearance, it is clear that in the coming days and weeks – perhaps even until the election – Biden’s age will continue to play a key role in the election campaign.
- Comment on Biden’s appearance: That’s what our US correspondent says.
Although Biden was able to avoid a total breakdown, the 81-year-old still stumbled over his words more than once. Two faux pas in particular will probably stay with the most powerful man in the free world for a long time to come. Firstly, Biden introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as Vladimir Putin, and he referred to his Vice President Kamala Harris as Trump – his bitter rival.
The slip-ups could not have been much worse: Biden mentioned Trump and Putin, the very people who cause him the most trouble both domestically and internationally. For some media representatives, one thing is clear: Biden must go.
The most important press comments from the USA at a glance:
The renowned “New York Times” rated Biden’s performance as “overall more stable than the debate against Mr. Trump.” However, there were some moments when he got his words mixed up. “His voice was strong at the beginning of the press conference, but became increasingly weaker as the performance progressed – but he did have some strong moments,” the US newspaper said. In addition, it almost seemed as if Biden was “almost happy to talk about something other than his cognitive abilities.”
The New York Times writes about the president’s verbal slip-ups: “Such mistakes can happen to anyone at any age and do not necessarily indicate an inability to process information or make decisions.” However, Biden is in a special situation. “Two weeks ago, he might have been allowed to get away with it, but since the debate, the microscopes have been out,” the newspaper says.
The Wall Street Journal also rated Biden’s performance as significantly stronger than in the debate against Trump. “The president spoke for about an hour, with some mistakes, but overall he seemed significantly different from the candidate who debated two weeks ago. However, it may already be too late for him (to turn things around).”
The US newspaper also praised Biden’s great experience and knowledge: “Biden once again showcased his encyclopedic knowledge of foreign policy when he spoke about the situation in Ukraine or Israel.” However, according to the “Wall Street Journal”, it remains questionable whether Biden was able to calm skeptics in his own party with his appearance.
The New York Post, on the other hand, was much more critical of Biden’s appearance. According to the US newspaper, Biden had done enough to remain the Democratic candidate, which was “fatal news for all Democrats.” Furthermore, the majority of Biden’s foreign policy answers were “complete nonsense.” In the few moments when Biden answered questions coherently, “he lied,” according to the New York Post.
Overall, it has been clear for some time “that the president can no longer do his job effectively. If the debate was the low point, this appearance was only a step above it. And yet it may have saved his candidacy.”
