A scathing article about President Biden's mental acuity, which included examples of gaffes and instances of low energy during private meetings, sparked a backlash from Democrats in Congress, allies in the media and the White House, who described the article as nothing more than “false.” “narratives.
Earlier this year, a report by Biden's own Justice Department special counsel called him an “old man with a bad memory” at the end of an investigation into his mishandling of classified documents dating back to his Senate tenure, which which ultimately saved him from having charges brought against him by special prosecutor Robert Hur.
At 81, Biden is the oldest sitting president, and his critics say his age has caught up with him cognitively. If he is re-elected in November, he will be 86 years old when he finishes his second term.
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Biden has been prone to gaffes since he was vice president, but the frequency and nature of his verbal errors in recent years appear to be more significant.
In May, Biden appeared to have broken with reality when he mistook the timing of the COVID pandemic by a factor of years when he said, “And when I was vice president, things were going a little bad during the pandemic and what happened?” It was Barack who told me, 'Go to Detroit and help fix it.'” The pandemic occurred years into Biden's tenure as vice president.
The president, on several occasions, has referred to the dead as if they were alive. In 2022, at a White House event, Biden called out former Rep. Jackie Walorski during a speech: “Jackie, are you here? Where's Jackie?” Walorski had died in a car accident the previous month.
At a campaign rally in February, Biden told the audience: “Right after I was elected, I went to a G7 meeting in the south of England. I sat down and said, 'America is back!' and Mitterrand from Germany (I mean France) looked at me and said, 'How long will you be back?'” Mitterrand was president from 1981 to 1995 and died in 1996.
In 2021, Biden claimed that he had spoken with the late German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who died in 2017, as he recalls past conversations during fundraising events.
Late Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal published a report detailing instances in which the president has demonstrated a lack of clarity in private meetings with staff and members of Congress.
Many of those who work most closely with the president are coming forward to say that the Wall Street Journal got it wrong.
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President Biden, second from right, meets with his Cabinet in Washington, DC, on January 5. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm was blunt, telling Fox News Digital: “The article was nonsense.”
“The president is completely into his game,” he added. “He is the wisest and most knowledgeable person in the room. He asks the toughest questions and has the sharpest insights into the complex issues posed to him. He is insightful, thoughtful and wise.”
Others at the highest levels of government echoed Granholm's sentiment, such as Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“I've worked for President Biden for 22 years,” Blinken told Fox News Digital. “Now as then, in strategic discussions and in meetings with foreign leaders, his depth of knowledge, his fluency in politics and politics and his ability to cut to the chase and make his case are exceptional. He is invariably one step ahead of we”.
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Attorney General Merrick Garland endorsed the president's mental acuity on domestic issues.
“I have complete confidence in the president,” Garland said. “As a member of the President's Cabinet and the National Security Council, I have consistently seen firsthand his ability to address issues of extraordinary complexity that are of utmost importance to our national security.
“I have also seen him address domestic policy issues, guiding us clearly and decisively through complicated issues to achieve results that benefit the American people.”
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also objected to the claim that the president is in a mentally deteriorating state, telling Fox News Digital in a statement: “Both in Washington and in meetings with world leaders around the world, Even during grueling negotiations with President Xi, I have always found President Biden extremely well-informed, factual, and very effective in promoting American interests.”
President Biden arrives with US Attorney General Merrick Garland, right, during a Medal of Valor ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 17, 2023. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also rejected the narrative.
“I totally disagree with the characterization of the story,” Mayorkas said. “I come fully prepared for my meetings with President Biden, knowing that his questions will be detailed, probing and demanding. In our exchanges, the president always draws on our previous conversations and past events to analyze the issues and reach his conclusions. “.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin agreed with Mayorka's assessment, saying: “As someone who has seen President Biden make difficult national security decisions and seen his commitment to keeping our troops safe, I have nothing more than total confidence in our commander in chief.
Gina Raimondo, former governor of Rhode Island and current secretary of commerce, fully supported her boss, saying: “I have spent countless hours with President Biden, discussing everything from our strategic competition with China to the technical aspects of CHIPS. for America , and in every conversation he has been sharp, focused and insightful. I couldn't disagree more with the false portrayal of the president in that article. There is no one I would rather lead our country today.”
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President Biden speaks as Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas listen during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on 12 November 2021 in Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
VA Secretary Denis McDonough also came to Biden's defense.
“Not only is President Biden as sharp and incisive as ever, but every day he demands that the VA be held accountable; me responsible every day, to deliver for veterans,” McDonough said, “That article is completely inconsistent with the man I have served for 12 years.”
Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a statement: “I have been in dozens of personal and high-profile meetings with President Biden, and I always find that his ability to simultaneously handle difficult issues is astonishing.
“President Biden has always had a deep understanding of policy at all levels and always remembers that policy must come back to how it helps the American people.”
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Former President Trump and President Biden. (Associated Press)
Not surprisingly, President Biden's top advisers contradict the narrative that the president's mental acuity may be declining. But talk of his decline began long before the Wall Street Journal article. Former President Trump and his supporters have endured a long-running attack on Biden's cognitive state. Trump has referred to his opponent as “Sleepy Joe” since 2019.
Such attacks may have been effective in shaping public opinion. According to a Pew Research survey published in late April, only 21% of respondents have very or very much confidence in Biden's mental fitness to serve as president, 16% have some confidence, and 62% have little or no confidence.
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