President Biden held a highly anticipated solo press conference Thursday evening to speak with the White House press corps amid concerns about his mental fortitude.
For reporters, it was a definitive trial to determine if Biden's confused and inarticulate demeanor at his first presidential debate against former President Trump was a fluke or a sign of a growing problem for the administration.
Before the press conference even began, Biden started out stumbling when he introduced Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as "President Putin" at the NATO summit in Washington, D.C.
Biden seemed to realize his embarrassing verbal stumble mentioning Russian President Vladimir Putin and attempted to quickly correct himself.
"He’s going to beat President Putin. President Zelenskyy. I’m so focused on beating Putin," he said. "We got to worry about it. Anyway, Mr. President."
A similar gaffe happened once Biden began to speak, with the president confusing Vice President Kamala Harris with Trump.
"I wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump if I didn't think she was qualified to be president," Biden told the press.
During and after the press conference, Biden's immediate team and wider ecosystem of allies were quick to tout the event as an overwhelming success.
Many claimed the president's answers regarding foreign policy issues showed him to have expertise in international affairs. #biden #election