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President Joe Biden speaks at a news conference following the NATO Summit.
Matt Rourke/AP

‘It’s a Rorschach’: Did Biden Buy Himself Time or Speed Up His End?

The event was much closer to classic Biden than the debate was. But classic Biden is no longer cutting it with the Democrats frustrated with him.

Matt Rourke/AP

President Joe Biden’s much-touted press conference was presidential and newsy Thursday night: less strident than last week’s ABC interview, more deliberate and open to Democrats’ concerns. It also had some traditional bumbly Biden moments. The political question moving forward: Which part will people remember?

“It’s a Rorschach. If you were ready to boot going in, you’ll still want to. If you were ready to defend, you still will. If you were on the fence on either direction, you’re still there,” said a White House aide. “Hinging the fate of democracy on each of these pretty spaced out, unscripted events is exhausting and unsustainable.”

That’s the political box Biden finds himself in, and the event marking the end of a NATO summit Biden hosted in Washington again showcased it.