Biden loses his train of thought, calls Harris 'Vice President Trump' in solo press conference

• President Biden delivered a rare solo press conference as pressure escalates for him to exit the presidential race against Donald Trump.
• At least 16 Democratic lawmakers have so far publicly called on Biden to drop out.
• Some megadonors have said they are pausing donations to the Democratic party until a new presumptive presidential nominee comes forward.

President Joe Biden on Thursday mistakenly referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as "Vice President Trump" in the opening question of his highly-anticipated solo press conference in Washington.

"Look, I wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president [if] I think she's not qualified to be president," Biden said, confusing his second-in-command with his November election opponent, former President Donald Trump.

A reporter pointed out Biden's mistake in the final question of the press conference, asking the president to comment on the blunder after Trump used it to mock him. Biden smiled to himself and replied, "Listen to him," before walking off stage.

Thursday's press conference was billed as the best opportunity for Biden to prove to Democrats that could handle tough questions and think on his feet in an unscripted environment.

Pressure for Biden to drop out of the 2024 race has escalated for weeks, following his disastrous debate performance against Trump on June 27 and his campaign's subsequent failure to assuage voters' concerns about his health.

It quickly became clear that Biden's hourlong press conference did not put Democrats' concerns to rest, however.

Four minutes after he walked off stage, Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, released a statement calling on Biden to exit the race.

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