Favorite emerges in race to become Trump’s running mate as Biden prepares for most important press conference of his career

The eyes of the world will be on Joe Biden on Thursday night and all the 81-year-old has to do is give strong, forceful answers to a series of questions, demonstrating his ability to perform well in an impromptu setting and his ability to silence; he is not mentally fit for a second term.

But in a sign of how concerned his aides are about his performance during the 5:30 p.m. ET press conference, they have an alternate plan in place in case Biden fumbles for words and stares into space, as he did during the first presidential debate.

Biden is under pressure as he tries to get the votes in the Democratic Party calling for him to withdraw from the presidential race and rally support for his candidacy. At least a dozen Democratic lawmakers have called for him to withdraw.

A good performance can convince his hysterical allies that he has the mental and physical energy to compete with Donald TrumpA poor performance could be a disaster and the death knell for his chances of remaining the Democratic presidential nominee.

Donald Trump is expected to announce his running mate next week at the Republican Party convention in Milwaukee.

There has been speculation for months about who will make the GOP ticket.

He has narrowed down his list of candidates to just a handful of party leaders.

But the odds in Las Vegas show one man has the edge.

Senator Marco Rubio was the slight favorite at +225 at BetOnline on Tuesday.

North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and Ohio Senator JD Vance were each at +250.

But on Wednesday Burgum took the lead with odds of +150, while Vance was second choice with odds of +285.

President Joe Biden faced a barrage of questions about George Clooney’s stunning op-ed calling on him to resign during his meeting with new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday.

Biden’s response, when called upon in Congress to resign, was to say, “AFL-CIO. Go, go, go!” His reaction suggests he has more confidence in the powerful labor union, which released a statement saying it stood “strongly in solidarity” with him on July 3 following his debate debacle.

The cacophony in the White House came as reporters got their first chance to ask Biden about the Hollywood star’s call to drop out of the race — just weeks after helping him raise nearly $30 million at an LA fundraiser.

He will undoubtedly face even more questions on the issue when he holds what the White House has dubbed a “major press conference” during the NATO summit he has hosted in Washington on Thursday.

“Joe Biden is a hero; he saved democracy in 2020. We need him to do it again in 2024,” Clooney said wrote in his shocking op-ed in the New York Times.

George Stephanopoulos was reportedly threatened with a deferment if he did not clarify his position on Joe Biden’s ability to serve another four years.

The ABC host gave his unvarnished opinion on the president’s performance in a brief interview after he was ambushed on Tuesday.

The former adviser to Bill Clinton was asked on a street in Manhattan whether Biden should resign and replied: “I don’t think he can serve another four years.”

Biden’s interview with the former White House spokesman on Friday followed a disastrous debate performance on June 27.