After years of criticism, there has been a surge of concern regarding President Joe Biden’s cognitive abilities among the media after his disastrous debate performance on June 27.
Biden’s mumbling, embarrassing performance finally made the mainstream media acknowledge these serious concerns after years of lies.
Now, a 2022 report proves it’s even worse than anyone thought, and these deep concerns about Biden’s flagging mental capacity date back years among American allies.
A newly unearthed report from a G7 summit in June 2022 shows Biden missed an evening meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz despite the German leader’s attempt to accommodate the 81-year-old president with an early evening meeting.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, the White House sent Secretary of State Antony Blinken to attend in Biden’s place, who stunned the German chancellor by claiming the president “had to go to bed.”
The informal event, a soiree at the Alpine resort Schloss Elmau during the Group of Seven summit, was arranged as a confidential meeting on Ukraine in a relaxed setting. Biden didn’t show, surprising the chancellor and his aides, officials said. Instead, Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived and announced that Biden had to go to bed, according to two people who were there.
Biden had a habit of skipping NATO events and meeting with allies and other world leaders, with his team often sending Blinken in his place with no other explanation.
In 2023, for example, Biden skipped an evening dinner with the leaders of America’s allies because of a “big speech” he was preparing for… in four days. He was later spotted on the beach playing on his phone.
While Biden’s mental cognition has been a concern for years, in recent weeks the criticism of Biden’s mental capacity has become deafening in the mainstream media and on Capitol Hill.
ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos, who is the only person to have interviewed Biden post-debate, recently expressed doubt about his abilities.
“I don’t think he can serve four more years,” Setphanopoulos admitted.
#GeorgeStephanopoulos just made a STUNNING comment: he told someone on the streets of #NewYork that he doesn't think President #JoeBiden can serve another term! https://t.co/cFMK2Uxx4z pic.twitter.com/pxKkolFcGt
— TMZ (@TMZ) July 9, 2024
Democratic senators have also started to publicly question Biden’s leadership.
Sens. Pat Murray, Christopher Murphy, and Michael Bennet have all publicly called on Biden to do more to reassure voters about his capabilities in recent days.
Democrats in competitive districts are reportedly concerned that Biden will cost them the upcoming election, and told The New York Times that Vice President Kamala Harris might be a stronger candidate.
Medical professionals have also weighed in after a report that Walter Reed Medical Center’s expert on early-onset Parkinson’s disease has been a regular visitor at the White House, often meeting with Biden’s personal physician.
Dr. Tom Pitts, a board-certified neurologist, told NBC News that Biden is showing clear signs of neurodegeneration based on public appearances.
“I see him 20 times a day in clinic,” Pitts said. “It’s ironic because he has the classic features of neurodegeneration, word-finding difficulties, and that’s not, ‘Oh, I couldn’t find the word.’ That’s from degeneration of the word retrieval area.”
“I could have diagnosed him from across the mall,” Pitts told NBC News.
These concerns are not limited to one political side. Both Democratic and Republican figures have expressed worries about Biden’s cognitive state and his ability to campaign effectively against former President Donald Trump.
Despite mounting pressure, the White House continues to claim that Biden is fit for office.
Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said bluntly on Monday that Biden is not being treated for Parkinson’s disease.
But as the 2024 election approaches, these concerns about Biden’s cognitive abilities and repeated public stumbles — amid growing concern among Biden’s allies both foreign and domestic — will undoubtedly weigh heavy on the Democratic Party’s overall elections strategy.