Biden Digs In

On the eve of the Republican National Convention, President Joe Biden appears more determined than ever to continue his bid for reelection. And while many Democrats remain anxious about a Trump landslide in November, Biden’s performance at a press conference on Thursday offered enough coherency to prevent a total collapse of his campaign.

Biden’s remarks at a news conference after the NATO summit in Washington were seen by some as a test to reassure voters over the president’s ability to serve another four years in office. And compared with his performance at the presidential debate two weeks ago, Biden presented a nuanced, complex conversation around policy, Ali Vitali said on last night’s episode of Washington Week With The Atlantic. “But when you’re grading the president on a curve, that’s not great,” she continued. “Lawmakers don’t really know where the off-ramp is here.”

Amid ongoing back-and-forth, some of Biden’s supporters still question whether he and the party can continue to withstand the pressure on his public appearances, especially as focus shifts to Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans at their convention next week. “Democrats are obviously terrified that Biden is not going to prevail,” Mark Leibovich said last night, “but it’s also that he can’t perform.”

Joining Atlantic staff writer and guest moderator Franklin Foer to discuss this and more: Mark Leibovich, a staff writer at The Atlantic; Ashley Parker, a senior national political correspondent at The Washington Post; Saleha Mohsin, a senior Washington correspondent at Bloomberg News; and Ali Vitali, a Capitol Hill correspondent for NBC News.

Watch the full episode here.