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Biden Mixes up Zelenskiy, Putin Names as Calls to End Campaign Grow

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (R) reacts after being introduced as Russia's President Vladimir Putin by US President Joe Biden during a Ukraine Compact event on the sidelines of the NATO members meeting at the Washington Convention Center July 11, 2024, in Washington, DC. (AFP)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (R) reacts after being introduced as Russia's President Vladimir Putin by US President Joe Biden during a Ukraine Compact event on the sidelines of the NATO members meeting at the Washington Convention Center July 11, 2024, in Washington, DC. (AFP)
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Biden Mixes up Zelenskiy, Putin Names as Calls to End Campaign Grow

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (R) reacts after being introduced as Russia's President Vladimir Putin by US President Joe Biden during a Ukraine Compact event on the sidelines of the NATO members meeting at the Washington Convention Center July 11, 2024, in Washington, DC. (AFP)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (R) reacts after being introduced as Russia's President Vladimir Putin by US President Joe Biden during a Ukraine Compact event on the sidelines of the NATO members meeting at the Washington Convention Center July 11, 2024, in Washington, DC. (AFP)

Democratic opposition to US President Joe Biden's re-election bid gained steam on Thursday as more members of Congress called on the 81-year-old to drop out of the race -- even before he mistakenly referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as "President Putin."

"Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin," Biden said, referring to Zelenskiy before correcting himself.

The gaffe came shortly before a highly anticipated news conference where Biden hopes to ease fellow Democrats' fears that he no longer has the ability to beat Republican Donald Trump in the November election, or to carry on in the high-pressure job for another four-year term.

So far, 13 of the 213 Democrats in the House and one of the Senate's 51 Democrats have appealed publicly to the president to withdraw from the race.

During his solo news conference on Thursday evening, Biden will have to respond to questions on a wide range of topics -- including his fitness for another four years in the White House.

Biden's campaign has been on the ropes for two weeks, since his poor debate performance against Donald Trump, his 78-year-old Republican rival.

Presidential advisers who met with Senate Democrats on Thursday to try to drum up Biden's campaign argued that the debate has not dramatically shifted the race and said it would aim to win undecided voters by shifting the focus to Trump, a convicted felon who faces two more criminal prosecutions for trying to overturn his 2020 election loss.

Four more Democrats in the House of Representatives on Thursday called on him to end his campaign: Brad Schneider of Illinois, Greg Stanton of Arizona, Ed Case of Hawaii, and Hillary Scholten of Michigan.

"For our country's sake, it is time for the President to pass the torch to a new generation of leaders," Stanton said in a prepared statement.

Others stopped short of calling for Biden to drop out, even as they questioned his ability to lead the country.  

"I doubt the President’s judgment about his health, his fitness to do the job, and whether he is the one making important decisions about our country, rather than unelected advisors," Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez said in a statement.

None of the party's leaders in Congress have called for Biden to end his candidacy, though former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday declined to say he should stay in the race.

Biden campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon and other top aides met with Senate Democrats to shore up support. Some said afterward they were still uncertain about his ability to win.

The campaign has commissioned a survey to test how Vice President Kamala Harris would fare if she were to replace Biden at the top of the ticket, according to a source with knowledge of the matter. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released last week found Harris would fare no better than Biden if she were the Democratic nominee, as both were statistically tied with Trump.

The New York Times reported that some longtime advisers were considering ways to convince him to drop his reelection bid, while NBC News reported that some campaign staffers thought he stood no chance of winning the election.

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Gabbard Calls Signal Chats a ‘Mistake’ as Trump Officials Face Grilling over Leaked Military Plan

(L-R) Director of the National Security Agency, Gen. Timothy Haugh; FBI Director, Kash Patel; Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard; CIA Director, John Ratcliffe; and Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse testify before a House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on "Worldwide Threats," on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on March 26, 2025. (AFP)
(L-R) Director of the National Security Agency, Gen. Timothy Haugh; FBI Director, Kash Patel; Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard; CIA Director, John Ratcliffe; and Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse testify before a House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on "Worldwide Threats," on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on March 26, 2025. (AFP)
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Gabbard Calls Signal Chats a ‘Mistake’ as Trump Officials Face Grilling over Leaked Military Plan

(L-R) Director of the National Security Agency, Gen. Timothy Haugh; FBI Director, Kash Patel; Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard; CIA Director, John Ratcliffe; and Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse testify before a House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on "Worldwide Threats," on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on March 26, 2025. (AFP)
(L-R) Director of the National Security Agency, Gen. Timothy Haugh; FBI Director, Kash Patel; Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard; CIA Director, John Ratcliffe; and Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse testify before a House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on "Worldwide Threats," on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on March 26, 2025. (AFP)

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Wednesday it was a "mistake" for national security officials to discuss sensitive military plans on a group text chain that also included a journalist — a leak that has roiled President Donald Trump's national security leadership.

Speaking before the House Intelligence Committee, Gabbard said the conversation included "candid and sensitive" information about military strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen. But as she told senators during testimony on Tuesday, she said the texts did not contain any classified information.

"It was a mistake that a reporter was inadvertently added," Gabbard said.

Wednesday's hearing was called to discuss an updated report on national security threats facing the US Instead, much of the focus was on the text chain, which included Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance and other top officials.

Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was also added, and on Wednesday his publication released more details from the chats, showing the level of detail they offered about the strikes.

Democrats have demanded an investigation into the sloppy communication, saying it may have exposed sensitive military information that could have jeopardized the mission or put US service members at risk.

The National Security Council has said it will investigate the matter, which Trump on Tuesday downplayed as a "glitch." Goldberg said he received the Signal invitation from Mike Waltz, Trump’s national security adviser, who was in the group chat and has taken responsibility for the lapse.

Even though the texts contained detailed information on military actions, Gabbard, Ratcliffe and the White House have all said none of the information was classified — an assertion Democrats flatly rejected on Wednesday.

"You all know that's a lie," Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, told Ratcliffe and Gabbard, who said that any decisions to classify or declassify military information falls to the secretary of defense.

Several Democrats on the panel said Hegseth should resign because of the leak.

"This is classified information. It’s a weapon system, as well as a sequence of strikes, as well as details of the operations," said Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat from Illinois. "He needs to resign immediately."

Ratcliffe defended his use of Signal as "appropriate" and said questions over the Signal leak have overshadowed the military operation targeting the Houthis.

"What is most important is that the mission was a remarkable success," he told lawmakers. "That’s what did happen, not what possibly could have happened."

The discussion at times grew heated as Ratcliffe and Democratic lawmakers spoke over one another. At one point, Rep. Jimmy Gomez, an Illinois Democrat, asked whether he knew whether Hegseth was drinking alcohol when he participated in the chat.

"I think that’s an offensive line of questioning," Ratcliffe angrily replied. "The answer is no."

Ratcliffe and Gomez then began shouting over each other as Gomez sought to ask a follow-up question. "We want to know if his performance is compromised," Gomez said.

Wednesday's hearing was called to discuss the intelligence community's annual report on threats to American national security. The report lists China, Russia, Iran and North Korea as strategic adversaries, and notes that drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations pose other threats to Americans.

The presentations from top Trump appointees reflect Trump's foreign policy priorities, including a focus on combating the flow of fentanyl, illegal immigration and human trafficking, and are taking place as Trump attempts to work out a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine three years after Russia's invasion.