Did Biden Do Enough?

Several donors took some comfort from President Biden’s performance at Thursday’s news conference, but their fears weren’t fully allayed.Credit…Eric Lee/The New York Times

Biden’s big test

Anticipation was exceptionally high ahead of President Biden’s news conference at the NATO summit, as donors and lawmakers declared the event the biggest test yet for his flagging re-election campaign.

The takeaway was a split decision: Biden rambled and misspoke several times, but also displayed the confidence and depth of knowledge that his supporters had hoped to hear. Yet for many donors and Democratic officials, the performance wasn’t enough to settle the debate over whether he should stay in the race.

Biden demonstrated his command of foreign policy at the news conference. In one instance on Thursday, he gave a long, nuanced answer about being prepared to interrupt the relationship between Russia and China. He also spoke in depth about the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

But it wasn’t a flawless performance. Biden made two headline-making flubs: calling Vice President Kamala Harris “Vice President Trump,” and saying he followed the advice of his “commander in chief” — his own title — about military aid to Ukraine. (Earlier in the day, he introduced President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine as “President Putin” before quickly correcting himself.)

Soon after the news conference, several more Democratic lawmakers, including the representatives Jim Himes of Connecticut and Eric Sorensen of Illinois, called on Biden to step aside. Others signaled their continued support. “No one is more prepared to lead our nation forward than Joe Biden,” Senator Chris Coons of Delaware posted on X.

Many donors are putting pressure on lawmakers, DealBook has heard. A number of Democratic supporters, including the financier Mike Novogratz, have committed at least $2 million to help politicians who have publicly called on Biden to drop his re-election bid, The Times reports.