Official White House press releases or statements

WSJ: White House Aides Hid Biden's Cognitive Decline, Limited Access and Rescheduled Meetings

Dec 19, 2024, 05:04 PM

An article in The Wall Street Journal titled 'How the White House Functioned With a Diminished Biden in Charge' has revealed that White House aides took significant measures to conceal President Joe Biden's cognitive decline from the public, Cabinet members, and key Democrats. To manage the president's limitations, aides controlled access, limited his interactions, and had top advisers act as intermediaries. They hired a voice coach to help him with his speeches and made public appearances more scripted. Meetings were sometimes rescheduled due to Biden having 'bad days,' with aides stating, 'He has good days and bad days, and today was a bad day so we're going to address this tomorrow.' Interactions with key Cabinet members, such as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, were infrequent or decreased over time, and some Cabinet members stopped requesting calls with the president. Some legislative leaders found it difficult to communicate with Biden during critical times, including before the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Additionally, an undercover video by James O'Keefe's media group features DHS Under Secretary for Policy Robert P. Silvers allegedly discussing Biden's cognitive challenges, stating that his decline accelerated 12 to 24 months into his presidency and that during meetings in the White House, Biden 'cannot even form a sentence.' The administration has denied that the president has declined, asserting that he remains fit for office.