The odds of Joe Biden winning the 2024 presidential election in November collapsed from 4/1 (20 percent) on Thursday morning to 8/1 (11.1 percent) on Friday, following a series of gaffes from the president during media events, according to U.K.-based bookmaker Betfair.
Biden mistakenly called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "President Putin" and described Vice President Kamala Harris as "Vice President Trump" at two separate events on Thursday during the NATO summit in Washington, D.C.
Concern about the age and mental agility of 81-year-old Biden surged following his first presidential debate against Donald Trump on June 27, in which the Democratic incumbent at several points appeared to lose his train of thought mid-sentence.
In response, several prominent Democrats have called for Biden to step down, including members of Congress and actor and Democratic fundraiser George Clooney, who wrote a piece for The New York Times titled "I Love Joe Biden. But We Need a New Nominee."
The William Hill odds on Biden not being the Democrats' 2024 presidential nominee also surged from 1/2 (66.7 percent) on Thursday to 1/3 (75 percent) on Friday morning.
Corresponding to Biden's decline in chances, the odds of Vice President Kamala Harris winning the presidency in November shortened from 15/2 (11.8 percent) on Thursday to 7/2 (22.8 percent) Friday morning.
Speaking to Newsweek, William Hill spokesperson Lee Phelps said: "Biden's news conference at the NATO summit was another test of his credentials following last month's disastrous performance in the first TV debate with Donald Trump.
"In light of George Clooney's critical column in The New York Times, Biden's chances of reelection were already lengthening, and his odds have now gone from 4/1 to 8/1 in the space of just 24 hours.
"Another underwhelming showing in front of the media has also meant his odds of NOT being the Democrat nominee are now 1/3, having been 1/2 on Thursday morning."
Newsweek reached out to Joe Biden's 2024 presidential election campaign and the White House press office for comment via email outside of usual business hours.
Shortly after Biden's press conference on Thursday in which he called Harris "Vice President Trump," Connecticut Representative Jim Himes posted a statement on X, formerly Twitter, praising Biden's presidency but urging him to step aside for November.
"Joe Biden's record of public service is unrivaled. His accomplishments are immense. His legacy as a great president is secure," Himes wrote. "He must not risk that legacy, those accomplishments and American democracy to soldier on in the face of the horrors promised by Donald Trump."
Illinois House Democrat Eric Sorensen also urged Biden to step aside in a statement posted to X, commenting: "I am hopeful President Biden will step aside in his campaign for President."
Biden has thus far insisted he will remain in the presidential race. He blamed his debate performance on jet lag after claiming he was "traveling around the world a couple of times" in the run-up to the debate.
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James Bickerton is a Newsweek U.S. News reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is covering U.S. politics and world ... Read more
