Here's how to watch Biden's news conference as he tries to quiet doubts after his poor debate

4 months ago 9

President Joe Biden will hold a news conference Thursday, the key event in a monumental week during which the Democratic incumbent is fending off calls for him to step aside as the party's presumptive nominee following a shaky debate performance.

It's just the type of event that many political watchers have said Biden needs to pull off successfully to turn back demands — including from within his own party — that he withdraw from his reelection battle against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Biden has argued that he had a singularly bad night in Atlanta and that it wasn't representative of his mental acuity. A strong performance Thursday could convince members of his party that he still has the ability both to win in November and to serve a second term. A weak effort — or stumbles similar to his debate performances — could make the calls for him to withdraw grow much louder.

Here are the details on what White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has referenced as Biden's “big boy” news conference:

When is the news conference?

Biden is scheduled to take questions from the White House press corps at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. It had initially been slated for 5:30 p.m., but the White House moved the time to an hour later.