2024-07-14 09:07:54
He US President Joe Biden81, made a monumental mistake on Thursday by introducing Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Zelensky by the name “President Putin” shortly before a press conference that could determine his political survival.
“And now I would like to give the floor to the President of Ukraine, who has both courage and determination. Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin.”Biden said at the NATO summit in Washington.
The Democrat, who orchestrated the Western response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, walked away from the microphone but as soon as Joe Biden realized the mistake and said: “He is going to defeat President Putin. President Zelensky“I’m so focused on beating Putin.”
Confusing Zelensky with his enemy Russian President Vladimir Putin It is a misstep at a time when the Democratic Party is doubting its ability to win the November elections after its disastrous performance in the June debate against Republican Donald Trump.
His Republican rivals immediately circulated the video on social media.
The mistake is a bad omen ahead of a press conference to be held at 6:30 p.m. local time (10:30 p.m. GMT) at the conference center hosting a NATO summit in Washington this week.
The country will be watching to see if he speaks with a clear and confident voice, without notes or teleprompters, because the way he answers will be as important as the content.
Joe Biden has dealt with stuttering since he was a childHe has never been a brilliant speaker and improvisation is not his strong point, but on Thursday he must convince people that he is capable of taking on Trump at the polls.
The Republican campaign team predicted failure.
“If he comes in, looks at a story and looks for a reporter with a predetermined question,” it would be “staged,” said Jason Miller, a close adviser to Trump, on Newsmax.
With just a few weeks to go before the Democratic nominating convention, scheduled for August 19-22 in Chicago, many within the party doubt that the 81-year-old president can still remain in the race for re-election.
“Neither tonight’s press conference nor the interview scheduled for Monday (on NBC) will offer the president the political salvation he seeks,” Congressman Ritchie Torres said in a statement.
According to the New York Times, The campaign team of Joe Biden and his vice president and running mate Kamala Harris have quietly sounded out the 59-year-old’s chances of defeating Donald Trump.
She has been loyal to him so far. “We knew this election would be tough (…) But if there’s one thing we know about our President Joe Biden, it’s that he’s a fighter!” she said Thursday during a rally in North Carolina (east).
Since becoming president, the Democrat has given 36 press conferences, according to researcher Martha Joynt Kumar, quoted by the Axios platform. Among his six predecessors, only Republican Ronald Reagan gave fewer.
– Mitterrand y Kohl –
And in recent months, the gaffes have been notable, as in February, when he mentioned former French president François Mitterrand, who died in 1996, instead of Emmanuel Macron, and the also deceased Helmut Kohl instead of former German chancellor Angela Merkel.
On Thursday, he cannot afford to make such blunders, given that he is under strong pressure from his Democratic Party, and even from movie stars like George Clooney, to hand over the reins.
An Ipsos poll released Thursday by the Washington Post and ABC shows no drop in voting intention nationwide since the debate: Joe Biden and Donald Trump are tied at 46% each.
But 67% of those surveyed believe Biden should withdraw his candidacy. Among Democratic voters, 56% think so.
A dozen Democratic congressmen from the House of Representatives and a senator have openly called on Biden to drop out of the race for the White House.
Many fear that Biden will drag them down in the midterm elections that are taking place at the same time as the presidential ones.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Thursday he is having “frank, thoughtful and deep conversations” with members of his caucus. He did not elaborate.
2024-07-14 09:07:54