President Biden’s top aides denied he was cognitively slipping to his level Disastrous debate against former President Donald Trump In June, while donors warned that their appearance of aging A new book reveals he was promoting his re-election campaign.
Cabinet members, the National Security Council and other senior advisers found the president “commandeering” in the briefings and dismissed the allegations of mental decline as “a more light problem,” according to Bob Woodward’s “War,” coming next week. . ,
The former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff claimed, “He is cautious.” mark met“Every meeting I went to with President Biden, without fail, he clearly did his homework.”
maggie goodlanderA former Biden Justice Department official, now running for Congress in New Hampshire, told her husband Jake Sullivan – Biden’s national security adviser – that she had to “secretly record” the president’s phone call with Sullivan. felt the desire to” in order to dispel rumors of his mental decline.
However, Goodlander also acknowledged that watching Biden’s faltering television presence was a “harrowing” experience.
Donors were more candid, urging Biden, 81, not to be caught on camera walking in and out of the White House — a near-impossible task given that the world’s media is recording nearly every move the president makes.
“You’re jinxing your campaign,” Woodward reported, a Hollywood CEO warned Biden after a Silicon Valley fundraiser in May 2024.
“Every time you go out and walk, people think ‘old’,” the film mogul said. “Don’t put yourself in a situation where you can be filmed walking.”
White House aides had started make a bubble Months ago, Biden’s cognitive acuity was raised in the wake of special counsel Robert Hur’s February report on the president’s “intentional” misuse of classified documents from his vice-presidency and Senate days.
every decided not to prosecute President, partly because he believed the jury would see Biden as “a sympathetic, well-intentioned, elderly man with a failing memory.”
Under Secretary of Defense for Defense Policy Colin Kahl acknowledged, “There is a sense that he is being protected by his staff,” as he accused Republicans of “fostering” the perception that Biden is “essentially older than he is.” are out, and he’s kind of ousted” from the platform by his staff. And in fact, he does not run the government.”
The president took some responsibility for the verbal mess, telling Kahl: “My problem is not that I say what I mean. that’s what i say Everything I mean (emphasis original).”
But Kahl and White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients both denied that Biden had become “mentally impaired” in any way.
“Biden is running the show,” Zients told donors in a phone call before the CNN debate. “He’s the one who wants to do everything, not the employee.”
Internal assessments in the lead-up to the June 27 confrontation with Trump in Atlanta were at odds with public perception.
At least 80% of Americans and 73% of registered voters said Biden, now 81, is “too old to be effective,” Woodward says, while a friend of the president told a reporter last December. Was: “He is more than half tired.” Time. …It’s clear in his voice.”
While Biden’s personal physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor insisted after the president’s physical examination in February 2024 that a “detailed neurological examination” found no “cerebellar or other central neurological disorders”, other doctors suggested that Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease were evident.
Neurologist Dr. Tom Pitts said, “I could have diagnosed (Biden) across the mall.” told NBC News Now “Top Story with Tom Lamas” in July, weeks before Biden dropped out.
Woodward writes, “His advisers emphasized that his experience with the President was different from the way he appeared at public events.” at least six per dayBiden was “increasingly embroiled.”
The authors concluded, “A review of the empirical evidence shows that Biden’s age was clearly affecting his ability to perform coherently at some public events through the summer of 2023.”
Although Secretary of State Antony Blinken believed Biden was ready for the post despite the debate debacle, the top US diplomat knew the 2024 race would be about “(Biden) and (Biden’s) ability.” It’s about to happen, and he told this to the President in a private conversation at the July 4 lunch.
“This will make it harder to succeed in November because it will require Trump to back down or alternatively have a strong positive agenda that carries the day,” the Cabinet official said. “But as long as that question is the dominant question, it’s difficult.”
The conversation cast Biden in doubt over whether he would still be able to lead in two or four years after defeating Trump.
Coalition of influential donors like Hollywood stars George ClooneyAnd powerful Capitol Hill Democrats successfully pushed Biden to end his re-election campaign on July 21 after endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor.
(Tags to translate) politics
