President Joe Biden’s lapses have apparently become more frequent and more worrisome, per a recent report.
The New York Times (NYT) reported on Tuesday, officials, both former and current, who encountered the president after his poor debate performance found “he increasingly appeared confused or listless, or would lose the thread of conversations.”
In Biden’s 23 days ahead of the debate, he flew across seas multiple times, meeting with foreign leaders and attended a fundraiser in California.
The debate prep occurred over six days and never started before 11 a.m., according to the NYT.
“Mr. Biden was given time for an afternoon nap each day,” the outlet reports, citing a source.
The White House has pushed back, stating the president “was working well before” 11 a.m.
The president’s debate performance sparked concerns. Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian, told the NYT: “You don’t have to be sitting in an Oval Office meeting with Joe Biden to recognize there’s been a slowdown in the past two years. There’s a visible difference.”
“The president can zip around the country like he does,” Brinkley added. “But the White House may only be showing the Biden they want us to see.”
NBC News reported on Tuesday morning that a conference call was made on Thursday to donors to reassure them after the debate.
The president also tried to quell concerns following the debate, telling supporters at a rally in North Carolina on Friday, “I don’t walk as easily as I used to, I don’t talk as smoothly as I used to, I don’t debate as well as I used to.” He continued:
“But I know what I do know: I know how to tell the truth, I know right from wrong, and I know how to do this job… And I know like millions of Americans know, when you get knocked down, you get back up. I give you my word as a Biden, I would not be running again if I didn’t believe with all my heart and soul I could do this job, because quite frankly, the stakes are too high.”
Additionally, on Tuesday at a campaign event in Virginia, Biden said, “I decided to travel around the world a couple of times.” He continued, “I didn’t listen to my staff,” adding that he “came back and nearly fell asleep on stage,” according to ABC News.
“It’s not an excuse but an explanation,” the president said.
Following the debate, Biden took a dip in his polling numbers, per FiveThirtyEight’s polling average for the 2024 presidential election. Trump held 41.8% while Biden was at 40.2%, as of Tuesday.
