Ines Chomnalez, Austin American-Statesman
·4 min read
President Joe Biden is set to appear in a press conference Thursday evening, marking the end of the 2024 NATO summit in Washington, D.C.
Biden announced he would appear in a solo press conference during the NATO summit shortly after his performance in the June 27th Presidential Debate sparked party-wide concern about his ability to beat Donald Trump in November or to serve in executive office for another four-year term.
The solo conference is one in a handful of press appearances the President has made in response to calls to step down from those within his party.
Here’s where, when, and why Texans should tune into the appearance:
When is President Joe Biden's press conference?
President Joe Biden is holding a live press conference Thursday, July 11, 2024.
Where is President Joe Biden's press conference today?
Biden will be appearing from the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington D.C.
How to watch President Joe Biden's press conference: Time, TV channel, live stream
The conference is scheduled for 5:30 PM CT and will be streaming across major news sites and cable channels. The white house will also be live streaming the press conference on YouTube.
What to expect from President Biden's press conference Thursday
While the conference is scheduled after NATO, and reporters will likely ask the president to discuss the summit, the President may also be asked to address concerns about his fitness for office and about the November election.
The president’s last solo news conference was eight months ago, following a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in California. The conference lasted about 20 minutes, and Biden answered around a dozen questions.
Biden’s performance in select press appearances over the past two weeks has done little to assuage concerns about his ability to win in the Fall.
After Democratic U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett became the first Democrat in Congress to publicly call for Biden to step down as the Democratic nominee on July 2, the president sat down for a solo interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos. In the July 5th interview filmed in Wisconsin, Biden doubled down on his commitment to remaining the nominee. The president also declined to sit for an independent mental acuity test, saying that his performance on the job was proof of his ability.
While reactions to the Stephanopoulos interview were more positive than public opinion after the presidential debate, democratic representatives and long-time supporters alike have continued to voice desires for a new nominee. On July 9th, Stephanopoulos was caught on video saying that he did not believe the president could serve for four more years.
More: When Lloyd Doggett called on Biden to stand down, it was one old pro talking to another
Doggett has since doubled down on the need for a new nominee during a meeting of House Democrats, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that the president should continue to weigh his options before deciding to stay in the race.
In a precipitating moment yesterday, long-term Democratic supporter George Clooney published a New York Times op-ed saying that Biden appeared incapable of winning in November during a fundraiser hosted three weeks ago.
“This isn’t only my opinion; this is the opinion of every senator and Congress member and governor who I’ve spoken with in private,” Clooney wrote in the essay. “Every single one, irrespective of what he or she is saying publicly.”
More: George Clooney argues in new op-ed that Democratic Party needs a new nominee
Biden, Harris visits to Texas to appeal to voters
In attempting to assure voters of his continued ability to serve, President Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris have both devoted attention to their constituents in Texas.
Harris appeared in Dallas yesterday to deliver a keynote speech at a meeting of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the first intercollegiate historically African American sorority of which Harris was a member.
Biden is set to visit Austin on Monday for an official White House trip to the LBJ Presidential Library and Museum, where he will give a speech commemorating Lyndon B. Johnson's signing the Civil Rights Act 60 years ago. Though the event is closed to the public, the speech will be livestreamed on YouTube starting at 12:30 p.m.
Later that evening, the President is scheduled to sit down with NBC News host Lester Holt for an interview.
Biden, who is 81, has given historically few media appearances for a sitting president. The interview will be one of about 160 during his term, compared to Trump 468 from 2016-2020.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: What time is President Biden's press conference Thursday? How to watch
