President Biden took the podium on Thursday night for a rare solo press conference amidst a NATO summit where he has been buffeted by an escalating crisis that threatens his presidency and his place atop the Democratic ticket this November. He warned of a “democracy under siege” and pledged to “finish the job” armed with the “wisdom of age.”  

“How accuracy does anyone think the polls are these days,” asked Mr. Biden as he called himself “the best qualified to govern” and reckoned that it would be difficult for someone else “to start from scratch.”

The president was defiant and sought to “allay fears.” He asserted that he is “the most qualified person to run for president,” even as he confused Vice President Harris with President Trump.

He insisted “there is a long way to go in the campaign” but noted that “things are moving” and asserted that he is “optimistic about where things are going.” Mr. Biden called the NATO conference “incredibly successful.”

Mr. Biden contended that “I am not in it for my legacy,” but rather claimed that he is seeking reelection to finish the job he started — including “stopping trickle down economics.”

Borrowing a page from the populist playbook, the president took aim at corporate profits and touted his support for labor unions. “None of you thought that would happen,” he rasped, with respect to increased domestic computer chip production.

The president called Ms. Harris “a hell of a prosecutor” and argued that “she is qualified to be president.” He called his schedule of events “full bore” and accused Trump of “doing virtually nothing” besides “filling out his scorecard” before he swings a golf cub.

The president promised that before the next debate, he would not “traverse 15 time zones.” He accused his staff of adding events to his schedule “all the time.” He said there was “no indication he could not get the job done” and lamented the “stupid mistake” of failing to prepare for the debate.

Mr. Biden quickly invoked President Trump in order to cast doubt on the 45th president’s commitment to the grand alliance. The 46th one accused his predecessor of an affinity for authoritarians and insisted that “the world is safer with NATO” and invoked a consensus from “Truman to Reagan to me.” Mr. Biden also claimed that his actions at the southern border “are working” to lower illegal immigration.

The president declared that he is “determined” to end the war at Gaza but appeared to confuse Israel’s government with its war cabinet. He promised that he would help the Jewish state “find the bad guys” — meaning the leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar — and touted his popularity in Israel, which he asserted was more robust than his approval rating on these shores.

What a spokesman, John Kirby, calls a “big boy” press conference comes two weeks to the day after a disastrous debate performance against President Trump that painted in crystal clear relief Mr. Biden’s age and diminishments. The president insists that the poor showing was ascribable to a cold and a “bad night.”

As the summit concluded just minutes before the press conference, Mr. Biden confused the leaders of Ukraine and Russia. He declared “And now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he does determination, President Putin.” Mr. Biden subsequently corrected himself.  

Those explanations, though, have not been enough to halt the growing sense — including among his supporters — that Mr. Biden is not up to the job. More than a dozen of the 213 Democrats in the House of Representatives have called for him to step aside, as has one senator, Peter Welch.

Even those who have not called for a new nominee have expressed consternation. Senator Bennett told CNN that his party “could lose the whole thing.” Mr. Biden aims to prevent a groundswell of discontent that could capsize his candidacy.

One Democrat, Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, in a statement Thursday afternoon to KGW News at Portland declared that “Americans deserve to feel their president is fit enough to do the job.The crisis of confidence in the President’s leadership needs to come to an end. The President should do what he knows is right for the country and put the national interest first.” 

On Thursday NBC News reported that the Biden campaign has begun poring over polling to determine if Vice President Harris would be a stronger candidate against Trump this fall.

On Wednesday, one of the president’s most significant backers, the actor George Clooney, took to the New York Times to disclose that the version of Mr. Biden who attended a $30 million fundraiser last month was the same man we all witnessed at the debate.” On Thursday afternoon Mr. Biden’s camarilla met with Democratic senators in an effort to shore up his support. 

Mr. Clooney’s call for Mr. Biden to step aside comes as CNN reports that the president has not convened a meeting of his cabinet in nine months. He has not held a press conference this year, and only 14 solo ones during his presidency.

One television anchor — and former Democratic White House senior adviser —  George Stephonopolus, who interviewed the president in the days after the debate, was this week caught on camera flatly telling a passerby that he did not believe Mr. Biden could serve four more years. 

The president insists that he will stay in the race  and defeat Trump. A recent television advertisement for the 46th president features comments he made at a rally at Raleigh, where he declared “Folks, I know I’m not a young man. But I know how to do this job. I know right from wrong. I know how to tell the truth.And I know, like millions of Americans know, when you get knocked down, you get back up.”     

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This article has been updated from the bulldog.