Unscripted and Unbowed, Biden Seeks to Overcome Missteps With Policy Talk

Did President Biden really think that Donald J. Trump was his vice president instead of Kamala Harris? Of course not. Did he actually believe that he was meeting with Vladimir V. Putin instead of Volodymyr Zelensky? Not at all.

But when it comes to his political future, did it matter that he mixed up those names in front of television cameras on Thursday? Well, it certainly did not help.

For nearly an hour, at the most anticipated news conference of his presidency, Mr. Biden held forth on the nation, the world and his political future. He demonstrated a grasp of the issues and seemed most comfortable during a long discourse on foreign policy. He argued that age gave him wisdom and made clear that he had no intention of dropping out of the race.

The challenge, however, is that every momentary flub, every verbal miscue, even if quickly corrected, now takes on outsized importance, ricocheting across the internet in viral video clips, some more distorted than others, that may reinforce doubts about his capacity. He gets no free passes anymore, not since last month’s debate. The reality is that every public appearance between now and November will be scrutinized for evidence of infirmity.

Taken as a whole, Mr. Biden’s performance at the news conference was certainly steadier than at the debate against Mr. Trump. There were some word salad comments that were hard to deconstruct. His voice, strong at first, grew a little weaker as he went along. But he had some forceful moments, got his points across and offered serious answers about NATO, Ukraine, Gaza, China and other major topics. He seemed almost delighted to talk about industrial policy rather than his cognitive state.

Some nervous Democrats watching expressed relief and suggested that a good-enough evening would enable Mr. Biden to fight another day. Others remained unpersuaded and predicted it would not change the overall situation. Within minutes of the end of the event, at least three more House Democrats called on Mr. Biden to step aside as a candidate, and everyone was waiting to see what Democratic leaders do on Friday.