There are certain jobs that some of us would never take on. Septic-tank cleaner. Repo man. Murphy Brown’s secretary.
Me, I’d sooner collect unemployment for the rest of this administration than have to be a handler for President Joe Biden.
In yet another moment of viral cringe involving wrangling an errant, confused president, a Biden guide was caught on a hot mic having to give very direct verbal instructions as to where the president was supposed to stand during a visit to a semiconductor plant in North Carolina on Tuesday.
“Down there?” Biden can be heard saying, pointing down a ramp. (It’s worth noting there was no maze of ramps to navigate; it was, essentially, the only place he could go.)
“Yes, sir. Down the ramp,” the guide said. “And we have people lined up on the left over here, some union workers and leaders.”
“Hey, guys — and ladies!” Biden said, waving. (Good thing he remembered the second part.)
“Your mark is going to be the blue one to the left,” the guide said, as they reached the end of the ramp.”
“I’ll stay in my blue mark,” Biden responded, “then I’m going to say hello to each one.”
“Yes, sir, I’ll help you get started,” the guide replied.
GUIDE: “Yes, sir, down the ramp…your mark is gonna be the blue one to the left. You got a blue mark.”
BIDEN: “I’ll stay in my blue mark.” pic.twitter.com/XSmxEgUr2z
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 28, 2023
In ordinary circumstances, this kind of thing may not be cause for concern. One Democratic strategist responded to the video by saying, “Clearly none of you have ever done advance work.”
Clearly none of you have ever done advance work.
— Chris D. Jackson (@ChrisDJackson) March 28, 2023
The problem, naturally, is that this is Joe Biden. Not only does he look a bit confused here, he’s been more than a bit confused on other occasions.
Take, for example, this 2021 visit to a General Motors plant, where he was also told to stand on the blue marker. And then proceeded, from all appearances, to completely miss it:
Biden: “I stand on the blue marker, huh?”
GM Guide: “Yeah, the blue”
Biden: “Gotta take orders”
GM Guide: “You’re here…” *points*
Biden: *blows right past it*
GM Guide: “you’re…ok…ok” *everyone else moves up* pic.twitter.com/GqMLDYaGen
— Tommy Pigott (@TommyPigott) November 17, 2021
It’s not just factories where he gets confused. Heck, here he is at his current place of residence, apparently being told where to walk. And missing it:
Went the wrong way…totally lost… https://t.co/SKLZ6Giqtm
— Dan Scavino Jr.??? (@DanScavino) August 10, 2021
And clearly, “you’re not familiar with advance work” if you don’t know that the Easter Bunny routinely directs the president, like she had to do at the 2022 White House Easter Egg Roll:
Why is the Easter Bunny directing the President of the United States ???????? pic.twitter.com/9bgXQJ6EXW
— Abigail Marone ?? (@abigailmarone) April 18, 2022
Because, actually, that was an “advance worker” — Meghan Hays, then-director of message planning at the White House.
.@POTUS @FLOTUS SURPRISE! pic.twitter.com/tE1dvRYkj6
— Meghan Hays (@MegHays46) April 18, 2022
And here’s some advance work being done by a preteen girl at a Christmas event last year:
Biden: “Which way do we go?”
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) December 12, 2022
Those advance people also tell the now-80-year-old president that he has to wipe off his freaking chin:
President @JoeBiden holds a card handed to him by an aide that reads “Sir, there is something on your chin” while meeting with governors to discuss wildfire prevention on the White House Campus in Washington, Friday, July 30, 2021. (@AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) @POTUS @AP_Images pic.twitter.com/uvjgsmQtnU
— Andrew Harnik (@andyharnik) July 30, 2021
After a staffer gives Joe Biden a note saying, “there’s something on your chin,” Biden wipes his chin.
Then appears to put whatever was on his chin in his mouth? pic.twitter.com/VvN17i4IWY
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 30, 2021
Advance work, people!
No, this isn’t “advance work.” It’s advanced age. Yes, I’m sure all politicians at photo-op event get directions on what they’re supposed to do.
Never in my lifetime have I witnessed a president who needs to be told so explicitly, so often, and with so little positive result, as Joseph Robinette Biden.
Back during the Reagan, Bush and Clinton presidencies, the long-running CBS sitcom “Murphy Brown” had a running joke about how hard it is to find good help, with the title character changing secretaries on an almost weekly basis.
During the Biden administration, the joke is how hard the help has to work to keep the president even standing in the right place at the right time.
But this is really no joke.
Never in my lifetime — never in history — has the United States had an 80-year-old president. Not only that, he’s a high-mileage 80. It’s time to stop pretending; Biden’s mental capacity is an issue. When one of the roughest jobs in American politics is simply getting the president to do something, the likes of Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un sit up and pay attention.
Americans should be paying attention, too.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
