An article published by The Wall Street Journal suggesting President Joe Biden is showing signs of “slipping” is causing waves in Washington, D.C.
On Wednesday, CNN political commentator and former Clinton campaign adviser Patti Solis Doyle said she has had the article shared with her via text and email since it was published.
“This is a terrible story for Biden, obviously,” she stated when asked for the reaction from Democrats. “It feeds into the narrative that is being painted by the Trump campaign that he is too old.”
However, she explained she did not believe the story was only bad news for Biden because it mentioned former President Donald Trump’s “mistakes and flubs.”
“But, look, this is a challenge for Joe Biden, no question. Polling shows that Americans do believe he is too old to be president. And he’s just going to have to really defy those challenges on the trail,” Doyle added while urging the president to speak about his accomplishments.
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Meanwhile, CNN’s Kasie Hunt noted the story underscored the “nerves” Biden’s team has around concerns about his age as the Journal reported the White House kept track of what Democrats were saying to the paper, and apparently urged them to re-emphasize the president’s strengths.
The Journal published an article on Tuesday evening with the headline, “Behind Closed Doors, Biden Shows Signs of Slipping.”
It was based on interviews with 45 people who interacted with the president suggesting he is showing “his age” in several meetings behind closed doors.
“Some who have worked with him… including Democrats and some who have known him back to his time as vice president, described a president who appears slower now, someone who has both good moments and bad ones,” the Journal reported. “For much of his career, Biden enjoyed a reputation on Capitol Hill for being a master negotiator of legislative deals, known for his detailed knowledge of issues and insights into the other side’s motivations and needs—and for hitting his stride when the pressure was on. Over the past year, though, with Republicans in control of the House, that reputation has diminished.”
A White House spokesperson told the paper, “Congressional Republicans, foreign leaders and nonpartisan national-security experts have made clear in their own words that President Biden is a savvy and effective leader who has a deep record of legislative accomplishment.”
“Now, in 2024, House Republicans are making false claims as a political tactic that flatly contradict previous statements made by themselves and their colleagues,” they added.
The article conceded most of those who said Biden is showing signs of slowing down were Republicans, but adds some Democrats also said the same.
In one incident involving a January meeting on Ukraine aide, the paper reported, “The president moved so slowly around the Cabinet Room to greet the nearly two dozen congressional leaders that it took about 10 minutes for the meeting to begin, some people who attended recalled.”
“Biden started the meeting reading from notes to make broad points about the need to give money to Ukraine, which struck several participants as odd given that the lawmakers present already generally agreed that more funds were needed. Some attendees had trouble hearing him,” it added.
Attendees of that meeting said the president frequently deferred to lawmakers or staffers, and did not answer questions, with one person saying, “You couldn’t be there and not feel uncomfortable.”
