This is the worst-possible outcome for the Democrats
President Biden's Press Conference at the End of the NATO Summit was a Test. Can He Speak Fluidly Without a Teleprompter? The Media Response is Somewhat Clear-Cut.
No major new disaster, but not really convincing - that's how the US media coverage of President Joe Biden's press conference at the end of the NATO summit in Washington can be summarized. Yes, he made a few stumbles. For instance, he called Donald Trump his vice president, which hung there. Before that, he had already mistakenly identified Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Vladimir Putin. He acknowledged both mistakes himself and corrected them.
Such stumbles can still be overlooked. After all, Biden has always been known for gaffes, and his reputation precedes him. This criticism has followed Biden since he first ran for the presidency in 1988, wrote TV host and former politician Joe Scarborough in an article. "But everything he does now is being seen through the lens of the first TV debate." Scarborough was once a Republican congressman, has moderated the widely-watched show "Morning Joe" on MSNBC for years, and its commentators are usually pro-democratic.
Since the TV debate, support for Biden has waned. Seventeen representatives in the House and a Senator have called on him to withdraw. But even Hollywood star George Clooney has distanced himself from him, as he announced in a New York Times op-ed.
Doubts Remain
The media - they too are taking a step back. The major newspapers and TV networks can usually be clearly assigned to a political camp. The New York Times, for example, is clearly pro-democratic. Surprisingly, they have published comment after comment since the TV debate, urging Biden to step down. The same goes for the Washington Post, which is mostly pro-democratic. The debate revolves around the simple question: Is Biden too old? Many answer with "yes." Even the aforementioned moderator Scarborough. On "Morning Joe," he called on Biden to withdraw after the TV debate.
Many journalists seem to be in a waiting position: How long will Biden last? Will he manage to calm the critics? In this context, the press conference at the NATO summit was intriguing. Did Biden manage to speak coherently without a teleprompter? He did indeed manage to do so. But dispelling doubts, that seemed to be less successful.
Rachel Maddow, commentator on the more liberal MSNBC, said in her show that Biden is a master of foreign policy. He has proven this as a senator, vice president, and president. However, she undercut these facts with his demeanor. He interrupts himself, leaves things out, and speaks in a soft, monotonous voice at times. "There's a huge disconnect between his presentation style and his real mastery of the foreign policy issue," she said after the press conference.
David Axelrod, former advisor to President Barack Obama and now a commentator at CNN and podcaster ("Hacks on Tap"), seemed unconvinced. "If what he said at the end of the press conference is true, Biden's team apparently didn't make it clear to him what the data shows: The issue of age is huge and potentially insurmountable," Axelrod said. Biden's chances of winning the election are "very, very small." Biden had said in the press conference that his advisors hadn't shown him any polls showing him with no chance of winning. If they existed, he might withdraw, the president said.
With this statement, the "New York Times" begins its analysis of the speech. In it, it is stated that Biden delivered a competent presentation, but it was not "mesmerizing" in contrast. However, it remained uncertain whether that was enough to stop the bleeding of democratic support, which was threatening to turn into a rout. Minutes after the end of the press conference, the "drip-drip-drip" of congressmembers continued, urging him to resign. Three representatives called for Biden to resign shortly after the meeting.
Can he say "Neurologist"?
In the Washington Post report, it is stated that Biden showed "moments of linguistic competence and control," but he also stumbled over words, mixed up names, and gave meandering answers. The result was a "mixed performance." The Democrats were "on the hot seat" - that is, between good and evil, without clarity as to how it would go on.
Politico titles: "Biden makes a good showing, but faces further resignation demands." The portal quotes Representative Steve Cohen from Tennessee with the words: "I think he convinced many people that he should stay in the race."
The conservative tabloid "New York Post" went into great detail about how leading ministers like Anthony Blinken and Lloyd Austin appeared stiff during the PK. Biden also had trouble saying the word "neurologist" - a fact that the newspaper connects with the suspicion that the President might be suffering from Parkinson's disease.
The conservative Fox News quotes the conservative podcaster Josh Holmes ("Ruthless") with the words: "That's the worst-possible outcome for the Democrats. More verbal gaffes. Nothing to calm nerves. But also not enough to stop his candidacy."
In the context of speculation about the US Presidency Election 2024, former advisor to President Barack Obama, David Axelrod, expressed doubts about President Joe Biden's chances of winning, suggesting that the issue of age is a significant concern. During President Biden's press conference at the NATO summit, comments from media outlets like Rachel Maddow on MSNBC and David Axelrod at CNN highlighted both Biden's foreign policy acumen and his occasional verbal stumbles, creating a divided response among critics and supporters.
