How Biden's press conference performance will determine his fate in the 2024 presidential election

The eyes of nan world will beryllium connected Joe Biden on Thursday evening and each nan 81-year-old has to do is springiness strong, forceful answers to a bid of questions, showing he tin execute good successful an unscripted mounting and quiet nan talk he is not mentally fresh for a 2nd word successful office.

But successful a motion of really worried aides are astir his capacity astatine nan 5:30 p.m. ET property conference, they person a backup scheme successful spot successful lawsuit Biden fumbles for words and stares into abstraction for illustration he did successful nan first statesmanlike debate.

The unit is connected Biden arsenic he tries to tamp down nan voices successful nan Democratic Party calling for his exit from nan statesmanlike title and statement up support down his candidacy. At slightest a twelve Democratic lawmakers person called for him to front out.

A bully capacity tin reassure his frantic friends that he has nan intelligence and beingness power to compete against Donald Trump. A bad perfomance could beryllium a disaster and nan nail successful nan coffin for his chances of staying arsenic nan Democratic nominee.

The president has said many times he is not leaving nan contest.

Biden has been preparing for nan property convention each week, nan White House said, arsenic officials reason this isn't a single, high-stakes arena but portion of a greater strategy to person Biden retired successful nationalist much and beryllium much disposable to nan media.

Extra events are already connected nan schedule, a bid of nationalist events pinch images to antagonistic thing unfortunate moments that mightiness hap successful nan presser: nan president will beryllium down pinch NBC's Lester Holt for an question and reply connected Monday during a travel to Texas, he'll recreation to Detroit connected Friday, and, adjacent week, successful summation to Austin he'll sojourn Las Vegas.

But nan property convention could beryllium nan make aliases break infinitesimal for his candidacy.

Lawmakers, statement officials, donors, friends and foes alike will beryllium tuning in.

White House spokesperson John Kirby said he didn't cognize really agelong nan property convention would past but that Biden will telephone connected nan reporters himself. In nan past, nan president has utilized a database prepared by White House unit pinch nan names of nan journalists he should telephone on.

'How agelong it will return will dangle connected really galore questions,' Kirby said connected Fox News connected Wednesday. 'I cannot springiness you clip but it will beryllium a important property convention - again pinch aggregate reporters and him, by himself, calling connected them.'

The president's past solo property convention was successful November 2023.

The situation for Biden will beryllium to show himself arsenic a strong, clear communicator who tin reason why he tin hit Trump successful November and triumph a 2nd term.

The president, who tin beryllium limited connected a teleprompter, will besides person to show he tin beryllium unscripted and deliberation connected his feet arsenic he gets asked aggregate questions successful existent time.

His friends reason it will thief reset his candidacy.

'The property convention and different events for illustration that will beryllium adjuvant successful getting america backmost to nan opposition betwixt Biden and Trump that we request and nan state deserves,' Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said.

But it's not conscionable nan property conference.

Lawmakers and statement officials will beryllium looking intimately astatine polls coming retired successful nan adjacent fewer weeks – ones that person been conducted since Biden's statement capacity has sunk in.

Already a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll recovered that astir Democrats deliberation Biden should extremity his run based connected his statement performance. 

The canvass finds that 56 percent of Democrats opportunity that he should extremity his candidacy, while 42 percent opportunity he should proceed to activity reelection.

Party members besides will beryllium watching nan president's adjacent information of fundraising numbers. Donors person been expressing their fury astir Biden's statement performance. Some declare nan statement misled them astir Biden's expertise to do nan job.

Biden has held 36 news conferences to date, including 14 solo and 22 associated news conferences alongside different leaders. 

The president is still facing calls from immoderate Democratic lawmakers to time off nan race. And different bad news has piled on.

George Clooney, a lifelong Democratic and awesome statement donor, connected Wednesday wrote an op-ed successful nan New York Times calling connected Biden to exit nan race. The telephone from nan salient character sent governmental earthquakes done nan Democratic Party.

Additionally, nan Cook Political Report moved six states toward Trump successful its Electoral College ratings connected Tuesday, citing Biden's diminution successful nationalist and backstage battleground polls post-debate.

Other salient Democrats person been little than supportive of nan president.

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi is among those appearing to mobility Biden's determination to stay successful nan contest.

'It's up to nan president to determine if he is going to run. We're each encouraging him to make that decision. Because clip is moving short,' she said connected Morning Joe connected Wednesday.

Biden has said many times he is successful nan statesmanlike title to stay.

'I want you to cognize that contempt each nan speculation successful nan property and elsewhere, I americium firmly committed to staying successful this race, to moving this title to nan end, and to beating Donald Trump,' Biden wrote to Democratic lawmakers connected Monday arsenic he started a forceful strategy to regain nan assurance of his party.

His week has gone good frankincense far. He had a adjacent disastrous reside opening NATO but managed to debar a adjacent flub erstwhile reference from his teleprompter.

He has hung connected for 2 weeks aft his disastrous statement pinch Trump wherever he often stared blankly into nan camera and struggled to find his words.

And immoderate Democrats person stayed pinch him.

'I'm not going to counsel nan president connected thing different than, 'Stay in. You're our guy. And I person your back,' Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania said connected Wednesday.

But nan fearfulness is spreading among Democrats that not only Biden will suffer successful November, he'll return Democratic lawmakers down pinch him.

If Republicans triumph nan White House, Senate and House of Representatives, Donald Trump would beryllium unchecked successful his statesmanlike power.

'Donald Trump is connected track, I think, to triumph this predetermination and possibly triumph it by a landslide and return pinch him nan Senate and nan House,' Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado told CNN.

'So for me, this isn't a mobility astir polling. It's not a mobility astir politics. It's a civilized mobility astir nan early of our country.'

Bennet besides voiced what galore Democrats person based on privately – if nan Biden run has a scheme to triumph a 2nd term, they're not sharing it publically aliases privately.

'The White House, successful nan clip since that disastrous debate, I think, has done thing to really show that they person a scheme to triumph this election,' Bennet said.