They Thought They Could Cover for Biden
They Thought They Could Cover for Biden
No one knocked down the president on that debate stage. He stumbled over his own two feet.
President Biden’s debate performance was painful (“Democrats Can’t Avoid the Biden Problem,” Review & Outlook, June 29). But in all honesty, he performed better than I had expected. I have seen with my own eyes, and heard with my own ears, the president’s scripted speeches and a handful of “softball” interviews over the last 3½ years. I truly thought that if you put that man on a stage without a teleprompter for 90 minutes, he just might have to tap out before it’s over.
You ask a rhetorical question: “But did they really think they could hide his decline from the public for an entire election campaign?” The answer is yes. The Democrats and a complicit media did what they could to hide Mr. Biden’s decline for more than three years. Was it entirely unreasonable to assume they couldn’t do it for a few more months?
How Biden’s Inner Circle Worked to Keep Signs of Aging Under Wraps
Aides kept a tight rein on the president’s travel plans, news conferences, public appearances and meetings with donors while Biden’s stumbles became increasingly obvious.
Senior White House advisers for more than a year have aggressively stage-managed President Biden’s schedule, movements and personal interactions, as they sought to minimize signs of how age has taken a toll on the oldest president in U.S. history.
The White House has limited Biden’s daily itinerary and shielded him from impromptu exchanges. Advisers have restricted news conferences and media appearances, twice declining Super Bowl halftime interviews—an easy way to reach millions of voters—and sought to make sure meetings with donors stuck to scripted pleasantries.
An effort by some Democrats to seek an alternative to President Biden as the party’s nominee faced new uncertainty Tuesday, with frustrated lawmakers struggling to find a path forward after the president said he was dead set against stepping aside.
The situation remained in flux, after House and Senate Democrats held conference meetings for the first time since Biden flopped at June’s presidential debate. His performance heightened concerns that the 81-year-old incumbent couldn’t beat former President Donald Trump and may not be fit enough for another four years even if he did win.
