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Biden says ‘anyway’ at least 9 times while trailing off in press conference

Biden says ‘anyway’ at least 9 times while trailing off in press conference

President Biden held a high-stakes solo press conference Thursday evening where he doubled down on his earlier pledge to remain in the presidential race while suffering a few gaffes, including trailing off on his thoughts and using the phrase “anyway” at least nine times.  “I just got to just pace myself a lot more, pace myself. And the next debate, I’m not going to be traveling in 15 time zones a week before. Anyway. That’s what it was about,” Biden said after the media asked him about reports he needs to go to bed earlier in the day. “That’s what it was about. And by the way, even with that, I love my staff. But they add things they add things all the time… I’m catching hell from my wife for that. Anyway,” he continued, again using the phrase, “anyway.” Biden said “anyway” at least nine times throughout the roughly 58-minute press conference, according to a transcript of the press event, sparking some on social media to joke about an “anyway drinking game.” DEMS RUSH TO DEFEND BIDEN AMID HIGH STAKES PRESS CONFERENCE: ‘VERY STRONG PERFORMANCE’ Biden’s press conference comes as concerns mount that he is not mentally fit to serve another four years in the Oval Office, including 17 elected Democrats calling on the president to bow out of the race as he prepares to square off against former President Donald Trump in November.  TOP DEMOCRAT ON HOUSE INTEL COMMITTEE CALLS ON BIDEN TO SUSPEND CAMPAIGN AFTER NATO PRESS CONFERENCE “Joe Biden’s record of public service is unrivaled,” Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said on X following the press conference. “His accomplishments are immense. His legacy as a great president is secure.”  BIDEN’S HIGH-STAKES SOLO PRESS CONFERENCE SLAMMED FROM THE RIGHT AS ‘ANOTHER DISASTER’ “He must not risk that legacy, those accomplishments and American democracy to soldier on in the face of the horrors promised by Donald Trump,” Himes continued.  Conservatives slammed Biden on social media throughout the public event for his handful of gaffes, including holding up a list of reporters he planned to call on, appearing to confuse Vice President Kamala Harris with former President Donald Trump, in addition to repeatedly saying “anyway.” “This NATO press conference with Biden is another disaster. It is inexplicable the people advising this man continue to think that somehow he’s not going to humiliate himself and this country. Why do they continue to allow this to happen?” Fox News contributor Tammy Bruce posted to X during the press conference.  Allies of the president, however, championed the press event as a success, remarking on social media that Biden’s delivery to the bevy of press questions was “strong.” BIDEN STAGES HOUR-LONG PRESS CONFERENCE, TAKES MULTIPLE QUESTIONS IN BID TO ALLAY FEARS OVER MENTAL DECLINE “This is a very strong performance. Quite frankly. ⁦@POTUS⁩ is putting on a master class in how foreign policy and domestic policy intersect, explaining how crucial American global leadership is to our people here at home. Well done, Mr. President,” Democratic strategist Joel Rubin posted on X.  “Tonight Joe Biden offered a lengthy, detailed dive on the major national security issues he’s juggling combined with a comfortable but forceful defense of his view of where this race stands. 50 minutes of Qs. He needed to show up big tonight and he did,” former White House communications director Kate Bedingfield posted to X.  The president again addressed concerns over his mental acuity during the presser, defiantly defending his record in office.  PRESIDENT BIDEN: EUROPEAN ALLIES TELL ME I’VE ‘GOT TO WIN’ IN NOVEMBER “Am I getting the job done? Can you name me somebody who’s got more major pieces of legislation passed in three and a half years ago, created 2000 jobs just last week. So if I slow down, I can’t get the job done. That’s a sign that I shouldn’t be doing it. But there’s no indication of that yet… none,” he said.  Biden also addressed whether Harris could serve as president, elaborating that he would not have chosen her as his running mate in 2020 if he thought otherwise.  “First of all, the way she’s handled the issue of freedom of women’s bodies to have control over their bodies. Secondly, her ability to handle almost any issue on the board. This was a hell of a prosecutor. She was a first-rate person, and in the Senate, she was really good. I wouldn’t have picked her unless I thought she was qualified to be president. From the very beginning. I made no bones about that. She is qualified to be president. That’s why I picked her,” he said.  Biden’s press conference comes as he hosted NATO world leaders for the 75th anniversary of the defensive military alliance this week. 

Dems rush to defend Biden amid high-stakes press conference: ‘Very strong performance’

Dems rush to defend Biden amid high-stakes press conference: ‘Very strong performance’

Several Democrats and progressives rushed to the defense of President Biden as he fielded questions from reporters at the NATO summit about his mental acuity and whether he has what it takes to be successful in the 2024 race for the White House. “To answer the question on everyone’s minds: No, Joe Biden does not have a doctorate in foreign affairs. He’s just that f—ing good,” White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates wrote in a post to X. Amid growing calls from members of his own party for him to step aside in the presidential election, Biden dismissed the notion he’s “slowing down” and insisted at a press conference Wednesday evening he was “determined on running” in this year’s election. “Am I getting the job done? Can you name me somebody who’s got more major pieces of legislation passed in 3½ years? I created 2,000 jobs just last week. So, if I slow down, I can’t get the job done,” Biden said. “That’s a sign that I shouldn’t be doing it. But there’s no indication of that yet. None.” BIDEN’S HIGH-STAKES SOLO PRESS CONFERENCE SLAMMED FROM THE RIGHT AS ‘ANOTHER DISASTER’ Despite a press conference that conservative commentators are slamming as filled with multiple gaffes, several other Democrats took to social media to defend the president’s performance. Kate Bedingfield, a former communications director for Biden, also weighed in on the president’s performance, claiming he “needed to show up big tonight and he did.” “Tonight Joe Biden offered a lengthy, detailed dive on the major national security issues he’s juggling combined with a comfortable but forceful defense of his view of where this race stands. 50 minutes of Qs. He needed to show up big tonight and he did,” she wrote in a post to X. Ex-Obama adviser David Axelrod also commended the president’s performance, saying in a post on X that Biden is “very comfortable on national security issues.” “The wisdom of doing this press conference at NATO is clear. Shaky on other stuff, the @POTUS is very comfortable on national security issues,” Axelrod wrote. Joel Rubin, a former State Department official during the Obama administration, considered Biden’s performance to be “very strong.” BIDEN CAMP ADDRESSES RUMORS ADVISERS ARE HATCHING PLAN TO PUSH PRESIDENT ASIDE “This is a very strong performance. Quite frankly. ⁦@POTUS⁩ is putting on a master class in how foreign policy and domestic policy intersect, explaining how crucial American global leadership is to our people here at home. Well done, Mr. President,” Rubin wrote in a post on X. One Democratic activist went so far as to state he believes there are “people who owe President Biden an apology” after the president’s press conference. During the press conference, Biden’s first since his debate against former President Trump June 27, the president seemed to lose his train of thought and misspoke on a number of issues. At the start of his remarks, Biden mistakenly referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump” after he was asked by an AP reporter whether he had any concerns about Harris’ ability to beat Trump if she were the top of the ticket. “Look, I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president,” Biden said, not appearing to catch his mistake. “So, I think she is not qualified to be president [if I thought] she’s not qualified to be president.” The flub came just a few hours after Biden mistakenly referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Russian President Vladimir Putin. Biden did immediately correct his flub on that occasion. Axelrod admitted in a separate post on X that Biden’s mix-up between Harris and Trump was “unsettling.” Some Democrats, however, still have reservations about whether Biden is fit for office. One Democratic source told Fox News the president’s performance at the press conference was the “worst possible outcome, unless you are Hunter [Biden] and need a pardon.” Axelrod also highlighted concern about the issue on social media, writing, “If what he said at the end of his presser is true, it sounds like Biden’s team has not been very candid with him about what the data is showing: the age issue is a huge and potentially insurmountable concern and his odds of victory are very, very slim.” With calls for Biden to drop out, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said earlier this week the Democrats are keeping their thoughts on Biden quiet “until we see how we go this week.” “Let’s just hold off,” she said on MSNBC. “Whatever you’re thinking, either tell somebody privately, but you don’t have to put that out on the table until we see how we go this week.”

Biden stages hour-long press conference, takes multiple questions in bid to allay fears over mental decline

Biden stages hour-long press conference, takes multiple questions in bid to allay fears over mental decline

President Biden held a roughly hour-long press conference and took multiple questions from reporters Thursday evening as he works to quell concerns over his mental fitness and age ahead of the presidential election in November.  “I’m determined on running,” Biden declared Thursday evening in his solo press conference that lasted roughly 58 minutes.  Biden’s press conference, dubbed by the media and repeated by the White House as the president’s “big boy press conference,” was a high-stakes public event as voters and traditional Democratic allies increasingly spoke out this week that Biden’s mental acuity and age could or should prevent him from seeking re-election. The press conference follows Biden hosting NATO leaders in Washington, D.C., for the 75th anniversary of NATO.  “Am I getting the job done? Can you name me somebody who’s got more major pieces of legislation passed in three and a half years? I created 2,000 jobs just last week. So if I slow down, I can’t get the job done,” Biden told the media of him remaining in the race. “That’s a sign that I shouldn’t be doing it. But there’s no indication of that yet. None.” PRESIDENT BIDEN: EUROPEAN ALLIES TELL ME I’VE ‘GOT TO WIN’ IN NOVEMBER The press conference included a handful of gaffes from the president, including appearing to confuse Vice President Kamala Harris with former President Donald Trump, holding up a list of reporters he was instructed to call on, and repeatedly saying “anyway” while trailing off from a specific thought.  “Look, I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president [if I thought] she’s not qualified to be president,” Biden said, not appearing to catch his mistake. Conservatives panned the press conference as “another disaster” under the president’s belt, while some Democrats and allies of the administration defended the press event as a “very strong performance.” “This is a very strong performance. Quite frankly. ⁦@POTUS⁩ is putting on a master class in how foreign policy and domestic policy intersect, explaining how crucial American global leadership is to our people here at home. Well done, Mr. President,” Democratic strategist Joel Rubin posted on X.  BIDEN STUMBLES OVER ZELENSKYY INTRODUCTION, CALLS UKRAINIAN LEADER ‘PRESIDENT PUTIN’ Rubin was echoed by other Democrats, who argued Biden responded with strength as he fielded a bevy of questions from the media surrounding his foreign policy related to NATO and his mental acuity.  Conservatives, meanwhile, overwhelmingly panned the press conference, citing the president’s handful of gaffes.  HOUSE DEMOCRAT SUGGESTS BIDEN SHOULD RESIGN, SAYS PRESIDENCY ‘MUST COME TO AN END’ Biden said during the press conference that Harris could fulfill the role of president, despite pushing against calls for him to bow out of the race and pass the mantle to his veep.  BATTLEGROUND DEMS TESTER, KAINE TO SKIP BIDEN CAMPAIGN MEETING AS 2024 FEARS GROW “First of all, the way she’s handled the issue of freedom of women’s bodies to have control over their bodies. Secondly, her ability to handle almost any issue on the board. This was a hell of a prosecutor. She was a first-rate person, and in the Senate, she was really good,” Biden said. “I wouldn’t have picked her unless I thought she was qualified to be president. From the very beginning. I made no bones about that. She is qualified to be president. That’s why I picked her,” Biden said. BIDEN’S HIGH-STAKES SOLO PRESS CONFERENCE SLAMMED FROM THE RIGHT AS ‘ANOTHER DISASTER’ Biden’s press conference followed another gaffe earlier in the day, when he confused Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with Russian President Vladimir Putin.  BIDEN CAMP ADDRESSES RUMORS ADVISERS ARE HATCHING PLAN TO PUSH PRESIDENT ASIDE “And now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination,” Biden said. “Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin.”  Biden quickly corrected himself, saying: “President Putin? We’re going to beat President Putin – President Zelenskyy. I’m so focused on beating Putin, we got to worry about it.” “I’m better,” Zelenskyy quipped back.  “You are a hell of a lot better,” Biden responded. Concerns surrounding Biden’s health and mental fitness are at a fever pitch this summer, as some Democrats call on him to quit the presidential race following his disastrous debate against Trump last month. Biden has rejected calls to drop out, vowing to remain in the race as his campaign and the White House ramp up his number of public events in an apparent effort to quell concerns the president isn’t up for another four-year term in the Oval Office. 

Top Democrat on House Intel Committee calls on Biden to suspend campaign after NATO press conference

Top Democrat on House Intel Committee calls on Biden to suspend campaign after NATO press conference

The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Jim Himes, called on President Biden to suspend his 2024 re-election campaign, just moments after the president finished his highly anticipated press conference.  Biden participated in a press conference with reporters at the end of the NATO summit in Washington D.C. on Thursday night.  BIDEN’S HIGH-STAKES SOLO PRESS CONFERENCE SLAMMED FROM THE RIGHT AS ‘ANOTHER DISASTER’ Biden, during the press conference, was peppered with questions from reporters who pressed him on whether he would step aside amid mounting pressure from members within his own party following his disastrous debate performance last month. Biden said he is “determined” to stay in the race and maintained that he is fit to serve as president now and for the next four years.  But Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., sounded the alarm moments after the press conference concluded.  “Joe Biden’s record of public service is unrivaled,” Himes posted on X. “His accomplishments are immense. His legacy as a great president is secure.”  “He must not risk that legacy, those accomplishments and American democracy to soldier on in the face of the horrors promised by Donald Trump,” Himes posted on X.   BIDEN CAMP ADDRESSES RUMORS ADVISERS ARE HATCHING PLAN TO PUSH PRESIDENT ASIDE In a statement, Himes continued that it has been “the honor” of his career to work with Biden on “achievements that secured his remarkable legacy in American history.”  “It is because of those traits, and in consideration of that legacy, that I hope President Biden will step away from the presidential campaign,” Himes said.  A short time later, Rep. Scott Peters, D-Calif., also called on Biden to drop out of the race. “The stakes are high, and we are on a losing course,” Peters said in a statement. “My conscience requires me to speak up and put loyalty to the country and to democracy ahead of my great affection for, and loyalty to, the President and those around him.” Peters is the 16th Democrat in the House of Representatives to call on the president to step aside.  Biden, though, currently has the support of House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. 

Is it too late for DNC delegates to abandon Biden? A look at the Democrats’ nomination process

Is it too late for DNC delegates to abandon Biden? A look at the Democrats’ nomination process

President Biden faces a growing number of calls to step aside from the 2024 race for the White House, leading many Americans to question what the Democratic Party’s nomination process will look like if he stays in the race or ultimately allows for the selection of a new candidate. Biden has stated several times since his damaging debate performance last month he will not drop out of the race. But matters would be less complicated for the Democratic Party if the president willfully chose to step aside before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago from August 19-22. Democrats will officially choose their nominee at the convention, though they reportedly plan to nominate Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of the convention next month. At the convention, a candidate must win support from the majority of the party’s nearly 4,000 delegates, the party officials who formally select the nominee. Delegates are distributed to candidates based on the results of primary elections in each state. DEMOCRATS’ NOMINATION OF BIDEN IN VIRTUAL ROLL CALL COULD COME AS EARLY AS MID-JULY For the Democratic Party, there are “pledged” and “unpledged” delegates. Pledged delegates have to vote for whichever candidate in their party wins the primary or caucus in their respective state, while unpledged delegates may choose to vote for any candidate. In the Democratic Party, unpledged delegates are known as “superdelegates,” current elected officials and party leaders who can support any candidate. A total of 1,976 delegates are needed to clinch the Democratic nomination for president. Biden has won roughly 3,900 this year. Those delegates have “pledged” to support Biden’s candidacy, according to DNC rules. Though Biden has not indicated he plans to withdraw from the race, if he were to do so, his delegates would no longer be pledged to him. His withdrawal would lead to an open convention, resulting in Democrats being able to make suggestions for potential nominees and cast votes until one candidate receives a majority of delegate votes. “Biden has a hammerlock on those delegates and alternates. Only he can release them if he wants, and he’s not gonna release them,” Craig Shirley, a presidential historian and biographer of former President Reagan, told Fox News Digital. BIDEN CAMP ADDRESSES RUMORS ADVISERS ARE HATCHING PLAN TO PUSH PRESIDENT ASIDE If Biden does not willingly drop out of the race, however, DNC regulations could seemingly make it possible for delegates to force Biden out of the race. Though it has not been tried in the modern political era, there is one rule that leaves open the possibility of giving delegates some leeway in who they support for the nomination. Rule 13 (J) of the DNC’s Delegate Selection Rules states, “Delegates elected to the national convention pledged to a presidential candidate shall in all good conscience reflect the sentiments of those who elected them.” To date, there is no definition or any prior history of what would constitute “in all good conscience.” Shirley dismissed the rule, insisting the delegates will remain bound to Biden and that all of the “hype” and “hot air spewing forth” about what delegates will ultimately do is “all media (speculation) right now.” “What is going to happen is this: Biden is going to be renominated with Kamala Harris. He can’t afford to get rid of Kamala Harris because he’s stuck with her. He doesn’t want her. She’s a liability, but he would also, by getting rid of Kamala, insult and lose a valuable constituency. He’s not going to do that,” Shirley said. Though that rule is in place, the DNC could alter its own party rules at any point. The rules have been changed in the past, for example, when President Lyndon B. Johnson decided not to seek re-election in 1968. At the time, the party shifted from an open convention process, where delegates could vote for whomever they wanted, to a bound process, where a delegate was attached to a candidate based on primary results. The DNC is considering formally nominating Biden as early as mid-July, two Democratic sources confirmed to Fox News Digital this month. A potential date for Biden’s nomination is July 21, the day the Democratic National Convention’s credentials committee meets virtually. Party officials have said the reason is that the convention falls after Ohio’s ballot deadline of Aug. 7.  Earlier this summer, Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine signed legislation altering the state filing deadline to Aug. 31, ensuring the Democratic nominee could be placed on the state’s November ballot even without the early virtual roll call vote. Word of the potential July 21 roll call was first reported by Bloomberg News. Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Biden’s high-stakes solo press conference slammed as ‘another disaster’

Biden’s high-stakes solo press conference slammed as ‘another disaster’

President Biden’s highly anticipated solo press conference Thursday evening was panned as a “disaster” on social media as the president stumbled through answering questions from the media regarding him remaining in the presidential race.  “This NATO press conference with Biden is another disaster. It is inexplicable the people advising this man continue to think that somehow he’s not going to humiliate himself and this country. Why do they continue to allow this to happen?” Fox News contributor Tammy Bruce posted on X during the press conference.  Biden joined the media Thursday afternoon while wrapping up a NATO summit in the nation’s capital, where the president made a series of gaffes, including confusing Vice President Kamala Harris with former President Donald Trump, trailing off while answering a question, and announcing to the room that he had a list of reporters he would call on.  “This press conference is a disaster. Joe Biden is not answering the questions,” Fox News contributor Leo Terrell posted on X during the press conference.  BIDEN CAMP ADDRESSES RUMORS ADVISERS ARE HATCHING PLAN TO PUSH PRESIDENT ASIDE “Crooked Joe begins his ‘Big Boy’ Press Conference with, “I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president, though I think she was not qualified to be president.” Great job, Joe!” Trump added on Truth Social.  Conservatives and critics of the president unleashed on Biden’s press conference. BIDEN’S ‘BIG BOY’ NATO NEWS CONFERENCE CARRIES HIGH STAKES AS FIRST PRESSER SINCE DISASTROUS DEBATE NATO SUMMIT IN DC IS ‘PIVOTAL’ MAKE-OR-BREAK MOMENT FOR BIDEN AS SCRUTINY OVER FITNESS FOR OFFICE INTENSIFIES Biden’s press conference comes as he faces heightened concerns over his health in the wake of his poor debate performance late last month, which opened floodgates of concern in the Democratic Party that the president’s 81 years of age and alleged slipping mental acuity will cost the party as the Biden campaign squares up against Trump. Biden has vowed to remain in the race despite rising concerns and calls for him to drop out and let another candidate take on Trump.  BIDEN SAYS ‘WORLD’S LOOKING TO AMERICA’ AS HE FACES SCRUTINY BEFORE HOSTING NATO SUMMIT “There’s been a lot of speculation: What’s Joe going to do? Is he going to stay in the race? Is he going to drop out? What’s he going to do?” Biden said Friday in a speech in Madison, Wisconsin. “Well, here’s my answer: I am running and going to win again.” As speculation and calls for Biden to drop out, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said earlier this week that Democrats are keeping their thoughts on Biden quiet “until we see how we go this week.” “Let’s just hold off,” she said on MSNBC. “Whatever you’re thinking, either tell somebody privately, but you don’t have to put that out on the table until we see how we go this week.” Thursday marks the first time Biden has held a solo press conference since November of last year.