Joe Biden’s debate disaster: New allegations emerge about fears for US President’s mental state
New details have emerged about how Joe Biden’s aides have allegedly been shielding him from slip-ups as the US President struggles to cope.
World
Don't miss out on the headlines from World. Followed categories will be added to My News.
New details have emerged about how Joe Biden’s aides have allegedly been shielding him from slip-ups as the US President struggles to cope behind the scenes.
While many Democrats were left shocked by Mr Biden’s disastrous debate against Donald Trump last Friday, the 81-year-old President’s cognitive slips are nothing new to his inner circle, the New York Post reports.
Staffers have allegedly been working throughout his presidency to minimise his exposure to situations where issues could occur.
Mr Biden is prone to gaffes and fatigue outside of his routine of six hours a day, between 10am and 4pm, and while travelling abroad, the Post said, citing an Axios report.
“I know many of these people and how the White House operates,” said Chandler West, the White House’s former deputy director of photography under Mr Biden, in an Instagram story after the debate, Axios reported.
“They will say he has a ‘cold’ or just experienced a ‘bad night,’ but for weeks and months, in private, they have all said what we saw last night — Joe is not as strong as he was just a couple of years ago,” the staffer said.
“The debate was not the first bad day, and it’s not gonna be the last — it’s time for Joe to go.”
Allies of Mr Biden have come to his defence, acknowledging his subdued debate performance but arguing that he remains the strongest contender against Donald Trump in the general election.
Top Democratic leaders and donors are urging the party to stick with Mr Biden but, in private, Democratic politicians and activists remain concerned about Mr Biden’s age and his ability to beat Mr Trump, The Wall Street Journal reports.
“I think he’s the only Democrat who can beat Donald Trump,” Senator Chris Coons, a Biden campaign co-chair, said during an interview on America’s ABC News. “And let me tell you, we had the single best day of grassroots fundraising after the debate.”
Asked whether Biden’s advisers and the campaign bear any responsibility for the performance, Senator Coons also acknowledged that Mr Biden had a “weak debate,” but argued that Mr Trump’s baseless claims amounted to a “horrifying” performance.
Nancy Pelosi, who served as House speaker, told CNN’s State of the Union program that Mr Biden had a “bad night.”
BIDEN CAMP RIPS ‘BED-WETTING BRIGADE’
The Biden campaign has slammed the “bed-wetting brigade” for panicking over the US president’s disastrous debate as it attempted to do damage control with supporters over the weekend.
In a fundraising blast to supporters, deputy campaign manager Rob Flaherty doubled down that Mr Biden was here to stay as the presumptive Democratic nominee for president.
“The bed-wetting brigade is calling for Joe Biden to ‘drop out.’ That is the best possible way for Donald Trump to win and us to lose,” Mr Flaherty said in the email titled, “7 Things to Tell Your Friends After The Debate — And 4 Things You Can Do.”
“Joe Biden is going to be the Democratic nominee, period. End of story,” he continued, according to the New York Post.
“And if he were to drop out, it would lead to weeks of chaos, internal food-fighting, and a bunch of candidates who limp into a brutal floor fight at the convention.”
It comes as Mr Biden returned to Camp David following his disastrous debate with Donald Trump.
The US president used the private presidential retreat as a base while he prepared for the debate and had always planned to return in the days after.
According to NBC News, Biden and his family are expected to use the break from the election trail to discuss the future of his presidential campaign.
Mr Biden’s campaign officials have been in damage control since the debate, at which the president stumbled at times over his words and struggled to stay on track.
The President’s top aides and advisers have told his staff to stay the course in meetings and discussions, NBC reported.
“Their message, according to one senior administration official: ‘We’ll weather the storm, just like we always have’,” the outlet said.
Former president Barack Obama took to social media in support of the embattled Biden.
“Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know,” he wrote on X.
“But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself. Between someone who tells the truth; who knows right from wrong and will give it to the American people straight — and someone who lies through his teeth for his own benefit. Last night didn’t change that, and it’s why so much is at stake in November.”
‘SHE WANTS TO BE PRESIDENT’: BIDEN’S WIFE SLAMMED
Jill Biden’s ex-husband has slammed her for apparently encouraging Joe Biden to stay in the US election race despite his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump.
Bill Stevenson, who was married to Jill from 1970 to 1975, said the First Lady was unrecognisable from the woman he used to know.
“The Dr Jill Biden who I’ve seen on TV in the last five years is not the same person I married or that I recognise in any way,” he told the New York Post.
“She’s matriculated into a completely different woman.”
Mr Stevenson, 75, who lives in the US state of Delaware, is a proud Trump supporter and said he found Jill Biden’s determination that her husband continue his campaign to be baffling.
“I just don’t understand why she is so adamant about defending him and keeping him in the race since it appears that he’s struggling,” he said. “It appears that he’s struggling with everybody these days.”
“I’ve watched Jill grow,” he said. “I’ve been proud of her at certain moments. I have no hard feelings … I’m just surprised to see her front and centre in the middle of this battle after flying under the radar for so many years.
“She’s always been very driven. People say she’s the one who wants to be president now.”
TRUMP’S BLAST AS ‘CLINGY’ BIDEN SPARKS FRESH CONCERNS
It came as Donald Trump slammed Mr Biden, saying the US President “choked” during their election debate and could have been in a “trance”.
Mr Trump posted a scathing statement on Truth Social about Mr Biden’s performance, saying the US President had fallen short under “tremendous pressure.
“I watched a man, first hand, ‘CHOKE’ under tremendous pressure, the likes of which he has never seen before,” Mr Trump said.
“This was a ‘MONSTER’ show, and it could be plainly and openly felt onstage.”
Mr Biden sparked fresh health concerns by grimacing and clutching his wife’s arm when they arrived in the Hamptons for a star-studded fundraiser.
Mr Biden, 81, and First Lady Jill Biden wore colour-co-ordinated outfits in the Democratic colour of blue as they walked on the tarmac at Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach.
The US President held on to his wife’s arm and appeared to squint as they made their way to their waiting vehicle to take them to the home of hedge-fund billionaire Barry Rosenstein and his wife Lizanne for the huge event, the New York Post reports.
A number of stars, including celebrity couple Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick are said to have paid $A380,0000 to attend the event, according to the East Hampton Press.
TRUMP CLAIMS BIG VICTORY ON BIDEN
Joe Biden is fighting for his political life as panicked Democrats consider replacement options following his dismal performance at the first debate of his re-election campaign.
Donald Trump basked in the afterglow, with a campaign rally in Democratic-leaning Virginia.
Wearing his signature red Make America Great Again cap, Trump lashed him publicly, calling him “grossly incompetent,” and a “train wreck,” and he described the election as a “choice between strength and weakness, and competence and incompetence.”
MEDIA OUTLETS CALL TIME ON JOE BIDEN
The New York Times led the charge with an editorial saying Mr Biden was an “admirable president” but that continuing would be a “reckless gamble” due to his “infirmity”.
“There is no reason for the party to risk the stability and security of the country by forcing voters to choose between Mr Trump’s deficiencies and those of Mr Biden,” it read.
“It’s too big a bet to simply hope Americans will overlook or discount Mr Biden’s age.”
It’s not the only major masthead to raise concerns.
“Just sad,” read the New York Post. “Prez mumbles, stumbles, freezes in train wreck debate.”
Meanwhile, Time Magazine summarised the debate with a single word on its cover: “Panic”.
London newspaper The Times led with, “Democrats discussing whether to ditch Biden”.
The Guardian called it “shaky” while The Independent lambasted the “stumbling performance” and the Evening Standard declared “Biden blows it” in a “car crash”.
Meanwhile, media coverage swung wildly in favour of Trump.
More Coverage
Originally published as Joe Biden’s debate disaster: New allegations emerge about fears for US President’s mental state
Read related topics:Joe Biden
Join the conversation
Aussie shares flat with all eyes on Israel
The sharemarket inched higher on Thursday as investors braced for Israel’s response to Iranian missile and terror attacks and the release of crucial US jobs data.
Read more
‘Towards abyss’: Grim sign of total collapse
Approximately 1.2 million people have been displaced since Israel’s most recent round of airstrikes on Lebanon, as Israel is accused of “pushing the region towards abyss”.
Read more