A former top staffer in the Biden White House told Puck News on Wednesday that the Biden-Harris administration was âgaslightingâ Americans by dismissing concerns over polling showing that former President Joe Biden was not receiving support from voters in his own party during his reelection bid.
Michael LaRosa, who served as a longtime press secretary to former first lady Jill Biden, also admitted to Puck News that Bidenâs age was an âissue,â and claimed that Bidenâs staff was âscared to deathâ of the former president participating in unrehearsed or unscripted interviews. Though mostAmericans and several Democrats repeatedly raised concerns over Bidenâs age and cognitive fitness during his time in office, his administration frequently denied these claims.
âThe presidentâs team was scared to death of impromptu, unscripted, unrehearsed, unpracticed, unchoreographed anything,â LaRosa told the outlet. âThey couldnât compete in the attention economy. They didnât have any idea how. And they didnât have the vessel in Biden, who would have done anything. He loves TV. He loves doing stuff. It was the orbit that didnât trust the candidate.â
Still, LaRosa defended the former president by telling Puck News that âevery politicianâ tries to âcover upâ their age.
âCalling it a cover-up is a little harsh and exaggerated,â LaRosa told the outlet. âEvery politician, every human being, tries to cover up their age. We all wear makeup on TV. So we were always, from day one, cognizant that age was an issue. From the moment I joined the campaign in the fall of 2019, it was a problem.â
Ahead of the 2024 election, many voters raised concerns over Bidenâs age and mental acuity, especially after his disastrous performance in the June 2024 presidential debate against President Donald Trump. Following the debate, the list of Democrats calling on the former president to end his reelection bid grew rapidly, as mediafigures quickly withdrew support as well.
âBiden needed the press, but when he needed the press the most, they didnât trust him. And then the press put their foot on the gas and never took it off, and he was politically dead in a month,â LaRosa added.
Biden stepped down from the presidential race shortly after the debate in July 2024, later endorsing former Vice President Kamala Harris to lead the Democratic ticket.
âThere are some things that are true, like the gaslighting,â LaRosa said in the interview. âThere was a lot of denial of the polling. All of the polling in the spring of 2023, and then the fall of 2023, showed that there was no real depth of support from his own party, let alone independents and Republicans. And Biden had been tied, or within the margin of error, with Trumpâwho had, by that point, how many court hearings? How many indictments? The fact that he was so close was always a problem, but they were kind of in denial.â
After Harrisâ election loss to Trump, several reports were released citing former Biden aides who claimed that he acted frail and weary during the final months of his presidency.
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