It's been months since Biden formally faced the press solo (2025)

Biden's high-stakes press appearance scheduled for Thursday night is his first formal solo news conference since November 2023.

The president's last similar outing came nearly eight months ago when he took questions from reporters after his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in California.

At that news conference, Biden called on reporters from four organizations, one of whom asked two questions.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre jumped in to end the news conference after the fourth reporter, though Biden proceeded to answer an additional nine questions.

Biden's most recent joint news conference was during the G7 summit last month.

President Joe Biden's campaign is testing head-to-head matchups of Vice President Kamala Harris against former President Donald Trump, a source familiar with the strategy told ABC News. It's a strategic shift that comes with increasing scrutiny on whether Biden should end his 2024 reelection campaign.

The source casts this as a response to the fact that Trump has begun to attack Harris in his public statements and speeches.

"Donald Trump shifted his stump speech. We'd be dumb not to adjust," the source told ABC News. "We obviously pay close attention to what he is saying."

Michigan Rep. Hillary Scholten has added her name to the growing list of House Democrats who are calling on Biden to end his presidential election bid.

The congresswoman said in a statement posted on X Thursday that it "is essential that we have the strongest possible candidate leading the top of the ticket -- not just to win, but to govern."

"The people of Michigan's 3rd Congressional District elected me to represent them with integrity. They elected a Congresswoman they trust to speak the truth, even when it's hard. They voted for someone who would put America's future first and stand up for what is right. That's what I am doing now," Scholten, who represents Grand Rapids, said.

She is the 10th sitting House Democrat to call for Biden to step aside.

Scholten noted that if Biden stayed in the race, she would "respect his decision," and still vote for him.

The White House announced Thursday morning that the much-anticipated Biden's press conference will now start at 6:30 p.m. local time in Washington, instead of the previous 5:30 p.m. start time.

Biden has a busy day of meetings tied to the NATO summit ahead of the press conference, including a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The presser will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, and is his first solo press conference in eight months.