President Joe Biden vowed to stay in the race and submit to more cognitive tests in a raucous press conference that had him calling his running mate “Vice President Trump” while choosing reporters from a list prepared for him ahead of time.

Biden admitted he needs to “pace himself more” and “allay fears” about his age, 81, catching up to him.

Biden, speaking following the NATO 75th Anniversary summit in Washington, D.C., was probably hoping to shake off any lingering doubts about his ability to hold office through another four-year term after his poor performance at last month’s debate, and he used the occasion as a political event by taking direct aim at former President Donald Trump and missing wide while attempting to appear mentally sound enough to hold office.

“I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be Vice President if she wasn’t qualified,” he said, substituting his own number two, Kamala Harris, with his rival.

Biden was quite clear on his plans for his campaign moving forward through a swarm of calls for him to make way for another candidate.

“I think I’m the most qualified person to run for president,” Biden said. “I’m not in this for my legacy. I’m in this to complete the job I started.”

Trump pounced even before Biden’s press conference was over.

“Crooked Joe begins his ‘Big Boy’ Press Conference with, ‘I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president’ … Great job, Joe,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

Biden’s presser was scheduled for 5:30 p.m. but started 2 hours late.

He started the speech by pointing to former President Donald Trump’s comments on NATO, saying the ex-commander-in-chief is prepared to abandon the defense treaty in favor of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Is the world safer with NATO?” Biden asked. “America cannot retreat from the world, we must lead the world.”

Biden defended his work on the economy, pointing to recent positive reports on inflation.

“Middle-class people, and working-class people need help,” he said. “The way to build this economy is from the middle out and from the bottom up.”

“Find me a mainstream economist who says we haven’t done well,” he said.

His debate performance, he said, was a “stupid mistake.”

“I tell you what — the best way to assure them is the way I assure myself: am I getting the job done?” he said.

Biden said that European allies are assuring him that he has to win.

Biden admitted there are other candidates that could beat Trump, but he’s not going anywhere.

“Unless they came back and said there is no way you can win,” he said. “No one is sayin that.”

As far as his misspeaking, Biden suggested people should listen to his opponent speak.

“Listen to him,” Biden said.

Still, Biden’s performance was riddled with flubs, coughs, and sentences he cut off — as is his speaking habit.

He used teleprompters for his opening remarks on NATO, which ran about eight minutes. Then the teleprompters lowered and he took a wide range of questions from 10 journalists about his mental acuity, foreign and domestic policy and — mostly — the future of his campaign.

“I believe I’m the best qualified to govern. I believe I’m the best qualitied to win,” Biden said, adding that he will stay in the race until his staff says, “There’s no way you can win.”