Democratic Party in turmoil ahead of Biden's 'big boy' press conference

Several Democrats and progressives rushed to the defense of President Biden as he fielded questions from reporters at the NATO summit about his mental acuity and whether he has what it takes to be successful in the 2024 race for the White House.

"To answer the question on everyone’s minds: No, Joe Biden does not have a doctorate in foreign affairs. He’s just that f---ing good," White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates wrote in a post to X.

Amid growing calls from members of his own party for him to step aside in the presidential election, Biden dismissed the notion he's "slowing down" and insisted at a press conference Wednesday evening he was "determined on running" in this year's election.

Despite a press conference that conservative commentators are slamming as filled with multiple gaffes, several other Democrats took to social media to defend the president's performance.

Kate Bedingfield, a former communications director for Biden, also weighed in on the president's performance, claiming he "needed to show up big tonight and he did."

"Tonight Joe Biden offered a lengthy, detailed dive on the major national security issues he’s juggling combined with a comfortable but forceful defense of his view of where this race stands. 50 minutes of Qs. He needed to show up big tonight and he did," she wrote in a post to X.

Ex-Obama adviser David Axelrod also commended the president's performance, saying in a post on X that Biden is "very comfortable on national security issues."

"The wisdom of doing this press conference at NATO is clear. Shaky on other stuff, the @POTUS is very comfortable on national security issues," Axelrod wrote.

Kyle Morris, who covers politics for Fox News Digital, contributed to this report.

The Biden Administration coordinated a high-stakes “Big Boy Press Conference” for the Commander in Chief on Thursday, perhaps to offset the Biden flubs made over the last few weeks.

Biden went all kinds of ways during his press conference, like his June 27 presidential debate performance against Trump, but one way in particular.

“Anyway,” Biden said several times during his NATO press conference.

Biden said "anyway" at least nine times throughout the roughly 58-minute press conference, according to a transcript of the press event, sparking some on social media to joke about an "anyway drinking game."

Fox News’ "Jesse Watters Primetime" aired a compilation of Biden’s repeated use of "anyway," including six of the instances out of the nine found in the press conference’s transcript. 

The press conference followed a meeting with Biden at the NATO Summit in Washington. During the summit, Biden introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin” before correcting it. Then during the press conference afterwards, Biden said political foe Donald Trump was his vice presidential choice.

“Look, I wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president,” Biden said, not appearing to catch his mistake. “So, I think she not qualified to be president [if I thought] she’s not qualified to be president.”

Fox News Digital reporters Emma Colton and Bradford Betz contributed to this report. 

Chris Hayes, the host of MSNBC’s “All in with Chris Hayes,” used his TV platform Thursday night following President Biden’s “Big Boy” press conference to challenge Democratic National Chairman Jaime Harrison on whether Biden is fit to run another campaign, much less the country.

"The good faith concern here for people who admire Joe Biden and think he's done a good job is that the nature of time and the stress of the job means that it will be very difficult for him to effectively execute the next four months of the campaign and effectively execute a second term," Hayes said to Harrison.

Harrison immediately diverted the conversation to attack Trump instead of showing quick support for Biden. 

“Chris, Donald Trump is literally talking about calling Chris Christie a fat pig. He’s talking about sharks, and electrocution of sharks. Let’s be serious. Joe Biden just laid out a complex view of the entire world, and we are putting ourselves in this mental gymnastics about how age is meaning two years.

“Well, we know what we have in contrast with Donald Trump. Fourteen million people went to the polls and went to primaries across their state and voted for Joe Biden.”

This comes also after Biden and Trump met in a head-to-head presidential debate last week, in which Biden had several flubs. Since then, the White House press secretary has played guardian between the president and the press regarding Biden’s health.

Biden’s personal physician hasn’t addressed the press.

Biden has since made an appearance on the international stage, notoriously calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “President [Vladimir] Putin” just hours before Thursday’s press conference to America.

President Biden’s remark during his press conference Thursday night about selecting Donald Trump as his vice president shook the airwaves, and the internet.

Trump was quick to quip on X.

“Crooked Joe begins his “Big Boy” Press Conference with, “I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president, though I think she was not qualified to be president.” Great job, Joe!” Trump tweeted.

Biden tweeted after his news conference.

“By the way: Yes, I know the difference,” Biden wrote on X. “One’s a prosecutor, and the other’s a felon.”

Trump was recently convicted by a New York court and Harris is a former attorney general in California before becoming a U.S. Senator and eventual vice president.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, says Democratic Party leaders need to “stand up and make” President Biden step aside, after the president mistakenly referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On Thursday, Biden was speaking at a NATO summit in Washington, D.C., alongside Zelenskyy, when he said, “And now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination. Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin,” before walking away from the podium.

Biden then seemed to realized his mistake and corrected himself to say President Zelenskyy.

McCaul responded to the gaff in a statement to Fox News.

“This is the person who has first-strike capabilities with our nuclear arsenal,” the House Republican said. “We are continuing to send a powerfully dangerous signal to our adversaries that the commander-in-chief is not in control of his faculties. The emperor has no clothes, and if he won’t step aside other senior leaders in the Democratic Party need to stand up and make him – for the security of our nation.”

Rep. Scott Peters, D-Calif., on Thursday became the 16th Democratic House lawmaker calling on President Biden to drop his bid for a second term in the White House.

"Today I ask President Biden to withdraw from the presidential campaign. The stakes are high, and we are on a losing course. My conscience requires me to speak up and put loyalty to the country and to democracy ahead of my great affection for, and loyalty to, the President and those around him,” Peters said in a statement.

“We must find a candidate from our deep bench of talent who can defeat Donald Trump. That means fielding a ticket that can win in the swing states where Democrats are not dominant but where this election will be decided. The candidate must be selected through a fair and transparent process, and then, when we leave our convention next month in Chicago, we must rally together and fight like hell. I hope all Democrats will join me in putting the country first, preserving the progress of the past four years, and solidifying Joe Biden’s legacy as one of the great leaders of our time — by defeating Donald Trump."

President Biden said during a press conference Thursday night that he has to pace himself a lot more, showing his energy is not what it used to be when he was elected in 2020 and took on one of the most strenuous jobs in the world.

Biden was asked by a reporter about reports in which the president has acknowledged he needs to go to bed earlier.

“That’s not true. Look, what I said was, instead of my day starting at seven and going to bed at midnight, it would be smarter for me to pace myself a little more,” the president said, adding that instead of starting a fundraiser at 9 p.m. for people to leave by 10 p.m., he would rather see them start as early as 6 p.m. and no later than 8 p.m.

He also blamed his jam-packed schedule on his poor debate performance in June, against former President Trump.

“I always have an inclination, whether I was playing sports or doing politics, just to keep going nonstop,” Biden said. “I just got to pace myself a lot more, pace myself. And the next debate, I’m not going to be traveling 15 time zones a week before. Anyway, that’s what it was about.”

He also took a dig at his staff.

“I love my staff, but…they add things all the time. I’m catching hell from my wife for that,” Biden said.

President Biden, speaking during a high-stakes press conference at the NATO summit in Washington, D.C. Thursday, downplayed earlier remarks he made concerning the limitations he needed to place on his work schedule amid questions over his mental fitness.

“That’s not true,” Biden said when the reporter pressed him on his previous statements about the need to go to bed earlier.

“Look, what I said was, instead of my every day starting at seven and going to bed at midnight, it'd be smarter for me to pace myself a little more. And I said, for example, the eight, seven, six stuff – instead of starting a fundraiser at 9:00 o'clock, people get to go home by 10:00 o’clock. That's what I'm talking about,” Biden said.

The embattled president has, for weeks, been fending off calls to drop out from the presidential race after last month’s debate put concerns about his mental acuity front and center in the campaign.

Jim Himes, D-Conn., on Thursday dropped his support for President Biden after the president’s high-stakes press conference.

In a message posted on X, Himes, like his fellow Democrats, praised Biden’s record of public service, but implored the president not to risk that legacy.

Himes said it was because of the Biden administration’s accomplishments, that he hopes “Biden will step away from the presidential campaign.”

“The 2024 election will define the future of American democracy, and we must put forth the strongest candidate possible to confront the thereat posed by Trump’s promised MAGA authoritarianism,” Himes said. “I no longer believe that is Joe Biden, and I hope that, as he has throughout a lifetime of public service, he will continue to put our nation first and, as he promised, make way for a new generation of leaders.”

President Biden said if a neurologist thinks he should have a neurological exam, he will do it.

The statement came after a reporter asked him during the president’s “Big Boy” conference about whether he would be open to taking another physical or test before the upcoming election in November.

Reporters have hammered White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre over the president’s health at recent press briefings, particularly in terms of health exams.

“I’ve taken three significant and intense neurological exams by a…neurologist. In each case, as recently as February, they say I’m in good shape,” Biden said. “I’m tested every single day about my neurological capacity, the decisions I make every day.”

The president then addressed his age, saying, the only thing age does is create a little bit of wisdom.

“Every single day, I’m surrounded by good docs. If they think there’s a problem, I promise you, or even if they don’t think it’s a problem and think I should have a neurological exam again, I’ll do it,” Biden said. “No one’s suggesting that to me now.

“No matter what I did, no one’s going to be satisfied,” he added.

President Biden told a reporter Thursday reiterated his decision to stay in the race, telling a reporter that it’s important he “allay fears” by getting out in the public spotlight more.

Pressed to respond to doubts growing within his own party about his viability as a presidential candidate, Biden said he was “determined on running.”

“I think it's important that I … allay fears by [letting] them see me out there … For the longest time it was, you know, ‘Biden's not prepared to sit with us unscripted. Biden's not prepared to…any way,” Biden said, seeming to trail off.

“And so,” what I'm doing – what I’ve been doing – is, I think we've done over 20 major events from Wisconsin to North Carolina, to anyway, to demonstrate that I'm going out there is where you think we can win, where we can persuade people to move our way,” Biden said.

President Biden said he was following the advice of his commander-in-chief when it came to imposed limitations on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his country’s use of American weapons on Russia.

Biden spoke to reporters at a NATO summit on Thursday in Washington, D.C., and was asked by a reporter about his meeting with Zelenskyy that day.

Specifically, the report asked about the Ukrainian president pressing Biden about lifting limitation on Ukraine’s use of American weapons, saying afterward his country cannot win the war with Russia unless the limitations are lifted. The reporter then asked Biden if he had plans to reconsider his position.

In response, Biden said, “I’m following the advice of my commander-in-chief.”

He then seemingly appeared to notice his mistake, saying, “My, the chief of staff of the military, as well as the secretary of defense and our intelligence people.”

Biden also said he and his staff are making a day-to-day basis on what Ukraine should do and how far they should go into Russia.

Former President Trump noted President Biden's flub during a Thursday press conference in which he called his predecessor a former vice president.

Biden made his remarks during his first solo news conference in many months following a busy day of NATO Summit events.

"Crooked Joe begins his 'Big Boy' Press Conference with, 'I wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president, though I think she was not qualified to be president.' Great job, Joe!" Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

While taking questions from reporters, Biden was asked about Vice President Kamala Harris' ability to defeat Trump if she were at the top of the ticket.

“Look, I wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president. So I think she was not qualified to be president,” Biden said, appearing to mix up Harris with his political opponent. “So let's start there. Number one, the fact is that, the consideration is that I think I'm the most qualified person to run for president. I beat him once and I will beat him again.”

During his press conference, President Biden answered when asked if Vice President Kamala Harris was qualified to be president, he said, “That's why I picked her.”

President Biden then went on to list a number of reasons why he picked Harris including the way she handled women's rights and ability to work under pressure.

“First of all, the way she's handled the issue of freedom of women's bodies to have control over their bodies. Secondly, her ability to handle almost any issue on the board. This was a hell of a prosecutor. She was a first rate person, and in the Senate, she was really good,” Biden said.

He continued stating again that she was qualified to be president and it's why he picked her as his second in command.

“I wouldn't have picked her unless I thought she was qualified to be president. From the very beginning. I made no bones about that. She is qualified to be president. That's why I picked her,” Biden said.

President Biden on Thursday brushed off concerns about him dropping out of the presidential race, saying there were no signs of him slowing down.

The comments came in response to a reporter who had asked Biden how he could assure the American people that he wouldn’t have more “bad nights” as the president himself characterized his debate performance.

Biden said the best way to assure them is the way he assures himself.

“I getting the job done? Am I getting the job done? Can you name me somebody who's got more major pieces of legislation passed in three and a half years? I created 2000 jobs just last week. So if I slow down, I can't get the job done,” Biden said. “That's a sign that I shouldn't be doing it. But there's no indication of that yet. None.”

President Biden held what his communications staff called a “Big Boy” press conference, and while speaking, he showed a list of reporters he was told to call on.

Biden’s press conference took place at a NATO summit in Washington, D.C.

When he opened it up for questions, the president said, “With that, I’ll take your questions. I’ve been given a list of people to call on here.”

It is not clear whether he was supposed to hold up the list of reporters he was told to call on, but the move raised more questions about whether this was indeed a “Big Boy” press conference.”

President Biden on Thursday mistakenly referred to Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump” when addressing a reporter during a press conference at the NATO summit.

The gaffe came after an AP reporter had asked Biden whether he had any concerns about Vice President Harris’ ability to beat Donald Trump if she were the top of the ticket.”

“Look, I wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president,” Biden said, not appearing to catch his mistake. “So, I think she not qualified to be president [if I thought] she’s not qualified to be president.”

The flub came just a few hours after Biden mistakenly referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The United Auto Workers President met with the union’s executive board late Thursday to discuss his deep concerns surrounding President Biden’s ability to beat former President Trump in November, according to sources familiar with the discussions.

Reuters reported that UAW President Shawn Fain called together top officials of the nearly 400,000-member union to discuss its concerns with the candidacy and the union’s options, according to sources who spoke to the wire on anonymity.

Fain and the UAW endorsed Biden in January, and they are important allies of the president and could play a critical role with helping Biden win key states like Michigan, where the union is based.

Despite the pull the union has, some UAW members, in June, were still unwilling to support Biden in November and are planning to vote for Trump.

The UAW went on strike for several weeks in September, demanding increased wages and a shorter work week. Biden joined them, making him the first president to join a picket line.

Fox News’ Hanna Panreck and Reuters contributed to this report.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is reportedly working behind the scenes to pressure President Biden to drop out of the presidential race amid a growing number of calls from within his own party to withdraw.

Democratic lawmakers who spoke with The Hill said Pelosi has been speaking with large swaths of the party to raise concerns about Biden’s ability to beat Trump in November.

One lawmaker relayed Pelosi’s message that the stakes being high and “we can’t afford to do anything but have our best possible opportunity to win.”

Pelosi grew testy with a reporter Wednesday who had asked whether she still supported the president as he faces mounting pressure to drop out of the race.

ABC News reporter Rachel Scott caught up with Pelosi as she was walking in the halls of Congress and asked her if she had talked with Biden about her comments that morning calling on Biden "to decide" if he was going to stay in the race.

"I'm not having any discussions with you, or anyone else, about what I talk to the president about, with all due respect," Pelosi told Scott in a video shared on X. "I'm not going to be making any comments today, in the hallway, about the fate of our nation, OK?"