Topline
President Joe Biden will host a rare solo press conference Thursday afternoon as part of the annual NATO Summit in Washington, D.C., as he attempts to calm concerns about his age after a startling debate performance weeks ago has led to increasing calls to drop out of the race and make room for another Democratic nominee.
US President Joe Biden walks to the White House in Washington, DC, on July 7, 2024.
Key Facts
The president on Thursday will participate in a meeting of the North Atlantic Council and a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council before hosting an event with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, followed by his first solo news conference in more than seven months.
Concerns have risen about Biden's ability to do unscripted events since his June 27th debate against Donald Trump, where he stumbled through answers and several times appeared to lose his train of thought.
Biden has notably held less press conferences than his predecessors (as of last April, he'd held fewer than any president in the last 100 years with the exception of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan) and he hasn't participated in such an event since his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in November 2023.
The president has been criticized over the course of his administration for doing fewer unscripted events than his supporters would like, and advisors have been accused of shielding him from such opportunities that could project him as less than fit for office.
Following the debate, Biden participated in two interviews with Black radio stations that were later revealed to have included only White House-provided questions—one station “parted ways” with the host that conducted the interview after the fact, saying it was “not a mouthpiece for the Biden or any other administration.”
It's not clear exactly how many questions Biden will answer at Thursday’s news conference.
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When Is The Biden Press Conference?
Biden is scheduled to take live questions from White House reporters at 6:30 p.m. ET on Thursday at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, where the ongoing NATO summit has been held.
Where Can I Watch Biden’s Nato News Conference?
The White House will live stream the news conference and cable news channels are likely to break away from regular programing to broadcast the president's remarks.
Crucial Quote
"President Biden is set this week to hold a solo press conference to dispel concerns about hit fitness to run for reelection, great news if you want edge-of-your-seat tension and you already finished 'The Bear,'" 'Late Night' host Seth Meyers joked Monday.
Chief Critics
Bloomberg journalist Justin Sink first called Thursday’s event a “big boy press conference” in a cheeky description that was later repeated several times at a White House press briefing by John Kirby, national security communications advisor, and Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. Sink pressed Jean-Pierre on if the press conference would be “more limited” as many of Biden’s recent appearances and interviews have been, or if it would be an open question-and-answer session. Some expect journalists will take the open opportunity not to ask about NATO, but to question the future of the president’s campaign. The White House has faced a flurry of criticism for using the "big boy press conference" language, which was repeated at least five times during Monday's press briefing. Sky News host Danica De Giorgio later asked, "Will they take him to potty training next?," sparking a furor of jokes online. Former Donald Trump Press Secretary Sean Spicer called the descriptor "rather unbecoming" and other critics said it was hard to take the administration seriously amid the messaging.
Key Background
The Biden campaign was thrust into the spotlight after a damaging performance by the president in his first televised debate of the election season against President Donald Trump on June 27. Biden's messaging during the debate wasn't clear, he stumbled through answers and appeared confused for much of the 90-minute event, casting doubt on his ability to handle the rigorous job for another four years. Voices on both sides of the aisle have since called for Biden to drop out of the race and give the Democratic nomination to a different candidate that may perform better against Trump in November, but Biden has instead admitted his debate performance was rocky, blamed a busy schedule before the event for exhausting him and doubled down on his intention to stay in the race. On Monday, Biden wrote a letter to Congressional Democrats that read: “I can respond to all this by saying clearly and unequivocally: I wouldn’t be running again if I did not absolutely believe I was the best person to beat Donald Trump in 2024.” So far, those who have called on Biden to drop out include Democratic Reps. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Mark Takano (D-Calif), Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.) and Seth Moulton (D-Mass.); billionaire Biden supporters Christy Walton, Michael Novogratz and Reed Hastings; and the New York Times editorial board.
Surprising Fact
Actor George Clooney on Wednesday called for Biden to drop out of the race weeks after helping to lead a $28 million, star-studded fundraiser for the presidential candidate. Clooney said Democrats have chosen to "ignore every warning sign" about Biden's declining fitness for office. “Our party leaders need to stop telling us that 51 million people didn’t see what we just saw,” Clooney wrote in reference to Biden’s debate performance.
