“Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin,” Biden said of Zelensky before correcting himself. In a press conference, Biden defended his candidacy in the presidential election. He was “the most qualified person to beat” his Republican challenger Donald Trump.
“I’m not in this for my legacy. I’m in this to finish the job,” Biden told journalists who asked him regarding his candidacy. Biden has been under scrutiny since a TV debate once morest Trump at the end of June raised doubts regarding his mental and physical fitness. “I made stupid mistakes in the debate,” he admitted. But: “I am the most qualified person to do this job, to make sure that Ukraine succeeds and that the alliance remains strong.” At the same time, he pointed out that he had already defeated Trump.
Biden had previously spoken at the summit regarding Russia’s war of aggression and then wanted to give the floor to Zelensky. He said: “I now hand over the floor to the President of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he does determination. Ladies and gentlemen: President Putin.” Even as he turned away from the lectern, the 81-year-old noticed the mistake. He immediately corrected himself and apologized, saying he was so focused on defeating Putin. Zelensky, who was standing next to him on the stage, jokingly countered with the words: “I am better.”
“Slips of the tongue happen…”
His counterparts were conciliatory following the slip-up. “Slips of the tongue happen, and if you always watch everyone, you’ll find enough of them,” said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz when asked by reporters regarding the incident. “But that doesn’t change what the US President said very clearly in his speech.” French President Emmanuel Macron also said that slip-ups happen to everyone, and it happens to him too. His meeting with Biden on Wednesday was “detailed and precise.”
Previously, media had reported that some of Biden’s advisers were not convinced that the 81-year-old might win the presidential election in November. In recent days, Biden’s advisers have tried to find ways to convince Biden to withdraw from the race, the New York Times reported, citing unnamed sources. Biden remains firmly convinced that he wants to stay in the race. His closest circle of advisers, which includes his family, are also in favor of this, the newspaper said.
The White House denied that Biden’s team was not united behind the Democrat. “That is clearly not true,” the newspaper quoted Andrew Bates, a White House spokesman, as saying. “President Biden’s team is fully behind him.”
“He has to get out”
But the US broadcaster NBC also reported that several of Biden’s allies see his chances of winning the November election as zero. “He has to drop out,” the broadcaster quoted an unnamed representative from Biden’s campaign team as saying. “He will never recover from this.”
Ahead of Biden’s eagerly awaited press conference, senior advisers to the US president have met with senators. Among others, the chairwoman of Biden’s campaign team, Jen O’Malley Dillon, was scheduled to canvass for support for the incumbent in the Congressional Chamber on Thursday. The Democrat was himself a senator for more than three decades – from 1973 to 2009. When asked whether the advisers might allay concerns in the chamber regarding the election, Senator Joe Manchin replied: “Only the president can do that.”
In the Senate, as well as in the other chamber, the House of Representatives, there are fears that a slide in the polls for the president might also damage his party’s chances in Congress. On November 5, in addition to the president, a third of the Senate and the entire House of Representatives will be re-elected. The majorities there are extremely narrow. Several party colleagues and celebrities have openly called on Biden to withdraw his candidacy, while other influential Democrats have been noticeably cautious. The president has repeatedly stated that he will stick with his candidacy.
