The White House insists that President Biden’s inability to complete sentences during a debate was simply a “bad night”
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that US President Joe Biden does not have Alzheimer’s or dementia and “knows how to do the job,” despite senior Democrats acknowledging that concerns about the president’s mental fitness are “legitimate.”
During last week’s debate against former President Donald Trump, Biden appeared visibly confused, mixing up words and struggling to finish sentences. His performance was labeled a disaster by American news organizations and Democratic Party donors, some of whom have called on Biden to immediately suspend his reelection campaign.
“I think it’s a legitimate question to say: ‘Is this an episode or is this a condition?’” Former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told MSNBC on Tuesday morning.
“We understand the concerns, we get it, the president did not have a good night,” Jean-Pierre told reporters at a briefing later in the afternoon. Repeating Biden’s explanation that he “had a cold” and “had a hoarse voice,” Jean-Pierre insisted that the president “knows how to do the job,” and “knows how to get back up” after a setback.
However, questions regarding Biden’s mental acuity dominated the hour-long briefing. When asked whether the White House would release more detailed medical records beyond the summaries of his annual physical exam that have been published, Jean-Pierre refused. Asked whether Biden would take a cognitive test, she stated that such an exam “is not warranted.” When asked whether Biden is “disabled,” she said “no,” and told the reporter asking the question that he “should know better.”
Asked directly whether Biden suffered from “Alzheimer’s, any form of dementia, or degenerative illness” that would explain why he “simply could not form coherent answers” during the debate, Jean-Pierre responded: “It’s a no.”
A new conducted by CBS News/YouGov in the wake of the debate found that 72% of registered voters do not believe that Biden has the “mental and cognitive health necessary to serve as president.” The poll indicated that even among Democrats some 45% believe that Biden should withdraw from the race.