queu quell dissent among to quell dissent among democrats calling him to step down is yet to be seen. he committed another stumble after one question referring to president trump is that of kamala harris.— president trump is that of kamala harris. how are you incorporating _ kamala harris. how are you incorporating these - incorporating these developments into your decision to stay— developments into your decision to stay in — developments into your decision to stay in separately, what concerns _ to stay in separately, what concerns you have about vice president _ concerns you have about vice president harris's ability to beat — president harris's ability to beat donald trump if you are at the top — beat donald trump if you are at the top of— beat donald trump if you are at the top of the ticket?— the top of the ticket? look, i would not — the top of the ticket? look, i would not have _ the top of the ticket? look, i would not have picked - the top of the ticket? look, i would not have picked vice l would not have picked vice president trump to be vice president if i did not think she was qualified to be president so let's start there. number one. the fact is that the consideration is that i think i am the most qualified person to run for president. i beat him once and i will beat him again. beat him once and i will beat him again-— him again. another awkward moment earlier _ him again. another awkward moment earlier when - him again. another awkward moment earlier when the i moment earlier when the president biden introduced the

ukrainian president zelensky as president putin. find ukrainian president zelensky as president putin.— ukrainian president zelensky as president putin. and now i want to handed _ president putin. and now i want to handed over— president putin. and now i want to handed over to _ president putin. and now i want to handed over to the _ president putin. and now i want to handed over to the president| to handed over to the president of ukraine who has as much courage as he has the terminator, ladies and gentlemen, president putin. president zelensky. i am so focused about beating putin. i am better. you are a hell of a lot better. am better. you are a hell of a lot better-— am better. you are a hell of a lot better. he has told that he is not in the _ lot better. he has told that he is not in the race _ lot better. he has told that he is not in the race for— lot better. he has told that he is not in the race for legacy. i is not in the race for legacy. into your decision to stay. did _ into your decision to stay. did you — into your decision to stay. did you see _ into your decision to stay. did you see any damage, have you seen a more successful conference? what do you think? i was talking about putin and i said putin but then said sorry, zelensky, and then i added five

other names. look, guys, the idea that anybody suggests that... that we have not had an incredibly successful conference, how many times did you hear in that conference that i know it sounds to self—serving— but other leaders, heads of state, thanking me and say the reason we are together is because of biden, because biden did the following. look, folks, this is... well, anyway, ithought it was the most successful conference i have attended in a very long time and find me a world leader who did not think it was. an incredibly successful conference. how many times did you get... i am not into this for my legacy. i am into this for my legacy. i am in it is to complete the job i have a starter. as you recall,

understandably, many economists thought my initiatives that i put forward cannot do that, it is going to cause inflation, the debt is going to go up, things are gonna skyrocket. what do you head out from mainstream economists? 16 economic nobel laureates that i have done a hell of a job, that under my plan so far and what is going to happen in the future if i am re—elected, things are going to get much better. our economy is growing. i was determined when i got elected to stop the trickle—down economic theory, that if the wealthy did very well everybody else did very well. my dad was a decent guy, i do not remember much trickle—down on his kitchen table. working—class people need help and so what happened is, i decided to implement and was able to implement as president what i believed when i was a senator and that is the

way to build the economies from the middle out and at the bottom up that weight we grow the economy and the wealthy still do very well, they define and, guess what, find me a major economist who says we're done well? what have we done thatis done well? what have we done that is not working right now? we have more to do. we have to finish thejob. we have more to do. we have to finish the job.— finish the 'ob. let's get more from finish the job. let's get more from david — finish the job. let's get more from david willis. _ finish the job. let's get more from david willis. president. from david willis. president biden was and answering questions for about an hour covering a lot of ground. what stood out to you? the covering a lot of ground. what stood out to you?— stood out to you? the simple fact of the — stood out to you? the simple fact of the matter _ stood out to you? the simple fact of the matter is - stood out to you? the simple fact of the matter is that - stood out to you? the simple fact of the matter is that joel fact of the matter is thatjoe biden could have performed push—ups orjumping jacks on push—ups or jumping jacks on the push—ups orjumping jacks on the stage at nato today and it still would not have dissuaded some in his party, his own party, from believing he is simply past his prime, too old for a second term in the white house. he confused of cost

before this press conference president zelensky of ukraine for president putin of russia and also at the press conference computers kamala harris for donald trump and he nonetheless made clear he has nonetheless made clear he has no intention whatsoever of pulling out of this race, he believes he has the best chance of beating donald trump, despite the fact that a growing number of members of his party are now saying that they believe the best thing for the democrats would be forjoe biden to withdraw from the presidential race. it is thought that a lot of people in the party have held back from coming out in public and saying what their colleagues have been more forthright because they did not want to undermine the president at a time when he was hosting world leaders on the nato stage. expect some are predicting a flood of people

coming forward from the democratic party in the coming days now that nato summit is over to declare that they believe is joe over to declare that they believe isjoe biden should step down. believe is joe biden should step down-— believe is joe biden should step down. believe is joe biden should ste down. , , ., ., step down. this is not what he would want — step down. this is not what he would want to _ step down. this is not what he would want to be _ step down. this is not what he would want to be discussing i would want to be discussing with four months from the election and wanted to keep focus on nato and the 75th anniversary and the achievement it has had but there is no escaping this, the conversation is going to remain on his suitability to run for the next four years?— suitability to run for the next four years? suitability to run for the next four ears? , . ., four years? very much so and he faced a barrage _ four years? very much so and he faced a barrage of _ four years? very much so and he faced a barrage of questions - faced a barrage of questions about this very issue but if they prefer to concentrate on his political legacy of the last four years, his legislative achievements and so on and to stress that wisdom, age brought him with them, and to say on one occasion that if it was recommended he undergo

another neurological test, saying he had undergone one as recently as february, that he would do so. he praised the attributes of his vice president kamala harris but, as i was saying, he made no indication whatsoever that he is on the verge of stepping down, making it quite clear that he still believes he is the best candidate amongst the democrats to beat donald trump in november. polls have not moved a great deal to basically oppose that view, i have to say, since his rather disastrous debate performance last month, but a growing number of americans polled continued to show or continued to say that they believe joe biden at 81 years of age is simply too old for a second term in the white house. he did also during _ term in the white house. he did also during the _ term in the white house. he did also during the press _ also during the press conference make a concerted effort to draw the distinction between himself and president

trump on a range of issues, from immigration, the cost of living, and sees this as a way of reassuring voters that he still has what it takes and that there was a clear choice between him and former president trump when it comes election in november? absolutely. and he stressed that the differences between him and former president crump in terms of the nato alliance, something that he is a firm champion of the. —— trump. economic figures show inflation is coming down. that has proven to be a key issue as far as a lot of voters are concerned and he talked as well about the measures he has taken to attempt to stem the influx of migrants along the us border with mexico. so very much looking to portrait this issue

of expertise, a man who has been around a long time and he knows what he's doing. it will not however necessarily prove to the many voters that he has the mental technician now to basically see through another four years in the white house. you very much for getting us across the developments. david willis. while president biden faces domestic pressure at home, he has been defended by other world leaders. emmanuel macron said his meeting with biden was detailed and precise and dismissed the president putin moment as a slip of the time. sir keir starmer described him as on a very good form after their meeting. as they look to strengthen their ties. the prime minister has been speaking to a political

editor chris mason including defence spending. chris started by asking for his opinion on president biden �*s fitness for office. focus in on the prime minister at the white house. it is that an expression that says, this is a pinch yourself moment. hope you are ok, says his posts as america asks that very question of the president. yes, it's blunt, yes, it's personal. reporters clamour this white noise of hollered questions at the start of the meeting — called a bilateral — are about his mental abilities, if he is really fit to run for re—election. so, what did sir keir starmer make of him? prime minister, you know what an increasing number of people are saying, they are implying that president biden is senile. is he?

no, we had a really good bilateral yesterday, we were billed for 45 minutes, we went on for the best part of an hour, we went through a huge number of issues at pace, he was actually on really good form, and... mentally agile? absolutely across all the detail, we were going at pace through a number of issues, which was really important to me, because obviously it was my first opportunity to have a bilateral like that, and he has shown incredible leadership. we have seen george clooney suggesting he is not up to it, is that unfair? well, i have given you my read—out of the meeting we had, he was on good form. a meeting of the nato defence alliance is a reminder of the sacrifices made in war. this is the arlington national cemetery. at the summit, a key discussion has been about military funding in a dangerous world. you have said that spending more on defence,

up to 2.5% of national income, is iron clad, but how clad in iron can it be when we have to wait for this review that's about to begin, there is no timescale on it and then there'll be a judgment whether it is affordable, is that iron clad? there is information we weren't privy to when we were in opposition, which we are now privy to, so i want to go through that exercise, the commitment is iron clad to that 2.5%. what i don't want to do is what has been done in the past, which is to set an arbitrary date without a pathway. i don't think that's serious. we are so serious about it that we want to make sure that it is within our fiscal rules, that we can show how it's going to be deliverable. so it will happen? yes, absolutely. a week on from the general election, sir keir starmer�*s first overseas trip is wrapping up. from the polling station to the white house balcony, it has been quite a week. chris mason, bbc news, in washington. president biden �*steam have

been meeting with senior figures to try and ease growing opposition in their ranks. a dozen democratic house of representatives have now called for him to step aside. in a further�*s wall streetjournal, a democratic senator added his voice sank the president should withdraw for the good of the country. the catalyst for all of this was the stumbling performers in the first debate with donald trump. he was a briefing from today's meeting. throughout this week, house democrats have engaged in a process of talking to each other. those conversations have been candid, comprehensive and clear eyed. and they continue until that process has continued. i'm not to address what any outside stakeholders may have to say about this

matter. �* , . ~ may have to say about this matter. �*, . ,, ., matter. let's get back to washington _ matter. let's get back to washington dc - matter. let's get back to washington dc and - matter. let's get back to | washington dc and speak matter. let's get back to - washington dc and speak with sarah smith. she was in the news conference that we just saw earlier by presidentjoe biden. get us up to speed with how it played out. it was an hour long. a lot of topics that were discussed. the mood in the room was tense at the start? yes, so there wasn't the greatest lead—up to this, of course, because what had happened is thatjoe biden was at an event with the nato leader and when trying to present president zelensky of ukraine, he accidentally called him president putin. he quickly corrected himself. but in this environment where everybody is going to seize on every tiny mistake he makes, that looked really bad. and then he came to this press conference, which was very much billed as a make or break event for him. it was going to be the longest unscripted event that he had done since that disastrous debate performance a week ago. and very early on, he was talking about his vice—president kamala harris

and how fit she was to be president if she had to take over. and he accidentally called her vice—president trump. so everybody gasped a little bit at that and wondered how this was going to go. although i have to say, for the rest of what was nearly an hour, he was pretty fluent, talking about the situation in the middle east and the economy and his re—election campaign. certainly as good as i've ever seen him, frankly. a little verbose, but this isjoe biden. he's always had a lot to say. but the thing is that he was being questioned again and again about his fitness for office — whether he's up for the job? office — whether he's up for thejob? whether office — whether he's up for the job? whether he's going to listen some of his congressional colleagues who want him to pull out of the race and allow somebody else to be democratic candidate? and although he had an answerfor all of them, it's not great in the middle of a general election campaign if people are continually asking you if you're going to drop out of the race yes, it does put in him in an awkward position. and there have been democrats speaking out about his candidacy to run for the next four years. but it

does seem to be a split in the