Under Pressure, Biden Goes Live and Defends Record

After a stumble in answering the opening question in his press conference Thursday evening—when he referred to "Vice President Trump"—President Biden extolled his record, praised NATO, and criticized Donald Trump. Biden gave a "forceful defense" of himself and his policies, the AP reports, part of an effort to reassure Democrats he's capable of doing his job and winning reelection. Asked whether doubts about his cognitive ability are hurting the nation's standing in the eyes of the world, per the Washington Post, Biden stressed the success of the NATO summit that just ended. In fact, his answers were heavy on foreign policy matters. Topics included:

• The election: The president emphatically declared he's staying in the race and will win. "I'm not in this for my legacy. I'm in this to complete the job I started," Biden said.
• His schedule: "I just got to pace myself a little more," Biden said in an answer about reporting that he told Democratic governors he needs to trim his schedule and not stretch his workday past 8pm. "My schedule has been full bore," he said Thursday, per the AP. "So if I slow down and 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 he'd have additional medical exams only if his doctors suggest it.
• The opponent: Other NATO leaders told him at the summit that he must win in November, Biden said, because Trump's election would be a disaster, per the New York Times. He referred to the certain Republican nominee as an unserious person.
• Misspeaking: Minor flubs like "Vice President Trump" or his errant "President Putin" at the NATO summit have taken place throughout Biden's term. But while congressional Democrats used to laugh them off, those who want a different nominee are not doing that now, per Paul Kane in the Post.

• Governors: Among the first officeholders Biden met with after the presidential debate were Democratic governors. The National Governors Association is holding its annual conference now in Salt Lake City. The nine Democrats at the meeting gathered with their staffs to watch the press conference in a private, reporter-free room, per the AP.

(More President Biden stories.)