New York: US President Joe Biden, in a high-stake press conference amid Kamala Harris-Donald Trump’s tug of war, has tried to convince his detractors as well as supporters that he can serve another four years in office. Despite a couple of gaffes during the conference, Biden brushed off concerns about his campaign, saying he is the most qualified person to run for president.
“I think I’m the most qualified person to run for president. I beat him (Trump) once and I will beat him again. I’m just gonna keep moving,” said Biden. He acknowledged that Democratic candidates facing tough elections may run away from him.
“The truth of the matter is that I understand the self-interest of a candidate. If they think that running with Biden at the top is going to hurt them, then they’re going to run away. I get it,” Biden told reporters, according to CNN. He further said that there are other people who could beat Trump too.
“But it’s awful hard to start from scratch. And you know, we talk about, you know, money raised – we’re not doing bad. We’re gonna put $220 million in the bank. We’re doing well,” Biden said during a conference. A senior official told CNN that they are happy with the president’s performance and the team is “relieved.”
Biden also said he had been dealing with Israel well. “I know Israel well, I support Israel, but this war cabinet is one of the most conservative war cabinets in the history of Israel,” he said.
Meanwhile, Trump seized the opportunity to mock Biden's slip-up during the press conference. Following his earlier gaffe of mistakenly referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as 'President Putin', Biden also left the crowd baffled by referring to Vice President Harris as 'Trump'.
“Look, I wouldn’t have picked Vice-President Trump to be vice president if I think she’s not qualified to be president,” Biden said. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Trump reacted to the viral ‘Oh Joe’ trend and said, “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.’
Taking another jab at Biden, Trump added, “You’re doing great Joe”. When reporters questioned Biden about Trump mocking him for his blunder, he responded by saying, "Listen to him". However, Biden appeared resolute in his decision not to step down. He remained steadfast, emphasizing his commitment to running not for legacy but for the responsibilities of the job.
"Well look, I'm not in this for my legacy," the president responded. "I'm in this to complete the job I started”.
