The Biden administration is scrambling for damage control over the president's mental condition. Over the past month, the White House claimed executive privilege over an audio tape of Biden's classified documents interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur, the transcripts of which were altered to make Biden seem more competent.
Next, TIME Magazine's Massimo Calabresi couldn't give a straight answer over Biden's serious cognitive decline exhibited during an interview.
Now, the White House and Biden allies are slamming a Tuesday report from the Wall Street Journal in which 45 people from both sides of the aisle told the outlet that Biden is, to put it mildly, two sandwiches short of a picnic.
The Journal cites a January meeting behind closed doors during a critical discussion about Ukraine funding, Biden's soft-spoken nursing home demeanor led some participants to question his engagement, as he occasionally read from notes and paused. "You couldn’t be there and not feel uncomfortable," one attendee noted about the meeting's dynamics, adding "I'll just say that."
In another example, Biden completely forgot the details of 'his' own policy on big energy projects during a one-on-one meeting with House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Others who attended said Biden’s demeanor and level of engagement fluctuated and he seemed lively and engaged at some points. When the topic moved to an immigration overhaul, Johnson, the House speaker, offered Biden a list of dozens of executive actions he could undo to improve border security. Biden, rather than responding to Johnson’s suggestions, chided him, according to people at the meeting, “I’ve forgotten more about immigration than you’ll ever know.” -WSJ
Then, during debt ceiling negotiations with House Republicans, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and others noted that Biden's demeanor and command of the details varied significantly from day to day. On some days, Biden was described as relying heavily on notes and mumbling, which could suggest inconsistency in cognitive performance.
“I used to meet with him when he was vice president. I’d go to his house,” McCarthy said in an interview. “He’s not the same person.” -WSJ
The article also lays out public speaking errors, such as mixing up names of his Hispanic cabinet secretaries, mistakenly speaking about conversations with long-deceased leaders, and other factual errors. These instances contribute to the narrative of cognitive decline.
In another section, the Journal reports that "The president moved so slowly around the Cabinet Room to greet the nearly two dozen congressional leaders that it took about 10 minutes for the meeting to begin, some people who attended recalled."
White House Responds
Well, not officially anyway... but several administration aides shared a lengthy segment from MSNBC's Morning Joe, who was picked to carry the water this time.
"I’ve spent time with both of those guys privately. Spent time with Biden and Trump privately. I’ve spent time with every House Speaker over the past 30 years. And Joe Biden, I’m not just — it’s just not close," said host Joe Scarborough.
"If you want to talk about international affairs, if you want to talk about how to get bipartisan legislation, Joe Biden is light-years ahead of all of them," he continued.
The pushback didn't stop there.
Deputy press secretary Andrew Bates posted on the social platform X a series of past quotes from McCarthy in which he praised Biden’s conduct during their private meetings over the debt ceiling. McCarthy told reporters publicly after those meetings that Biden was “very professional, very smart. Very tough at the same time,” and he reportedly told colleagues in private that he found Biden to be mentally sharp.
“What a surprise – Republicans employing their election year messaging strategy that contradicts their own prior words about @POTUS,” White House communications director Ben LaBolt posted on X. “Gambling in Casablanca!”
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) posted on X that she was interviewed for the piece but was not quoted.
“Surprise, surprise—everyone attacking @POTUS is a Republican with an agenda,” she posted. “I made clear to the @WSJ regarding the January meeting on Ukraine that the President was absolutely engaged & ran that meeting in a way that brought everyone together. I’m not quoted—I wonder why.” -The Hill
"As someone who has spent and continues to spend a lot of time with the president and continues to, I think ensure that I am living up to sort of his… strategic approach at every turn, I will say that he is, you know, just one of the strongest leaders that I’ve been able to engage and to be able to work with and to advise," said Biden campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez.
Remember when the left wanted to impeach Trump under the 25th Amendment for 'mental instability?' Where are those people now?