Watch Biden's full news conference from last night defying calls for him to drop out

President Biden, in a solo press conference Thursday night, said he's staying in the presidential race in order to "finish the job" he started four years ago — continuing to defy the pleas from a growing number of Democrats to step aside in the wake of his unsteady debate performance last month. 

During the June 27 debate, Mr. Biden, 81, stumbled early, flubbing lines as his voice appeared ready to give out. During the 90-minute debate, he failed to effectively respond to a number of false statements made by former President Donald Trump, and at times lost his train of thought. The debate prompted Democrats on Capitol Hill to begin discussing whether Mr. Biden had the fitness to be the party's 2024 presidential nominee. 

Mr. Biden suffered a couple of verbal stumbles during his Thursday night news conference — the first solo press conference he'd held since November — but exhibited command of the complex foreign policy issues facing the U.S. He has acknowledged he had a "bad night" at the debate and he has been trying to prove the debate was an anomaly.