MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough is seeking to defend President Joe Biden’s mental acuity after story suggested he has displayed signs of “slipping” with age.
In a post on X, Scarborough wrote, “I have spent a good bit of time talking to Kevin McCarthy through the years and hours with Biden in 2024.”
“There is no comparison. Biden is far sharper, more intellectually curious, and far more insightful on global affairs than any House GOP speaker I have met over 30 years,” he added.
Check out some of the reactions below:
The Wall Street 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. It also included details about former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) impression of his interactions with Biden.
“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.”
