Biden aides discussed a cognitive test but decided against it, book reveals
Joe Biden's top staff debated the possibility of the embattled Democratic president taking a cognitive test last year as he geared up for re-election but eventually decided against the idea, a new book is set to reveal.
Debate around Biden's mental acuity and his age was an acute issue during the run up to the 2024 election, which eventually saw Biden step down from his re-election campaign in favor of his vice-president, Kamala Harris.
Now a new book by three senior US political journalists called 2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America has revealed that Biden's aides seriously discussed a cognitive test, reported the New York Times – one of whose journalists is an author of the book.
'Biden's aides were confident that he would pass a cognitive test, according to the book, but they worried that the mere fact of his taking one would raise new questions about his mental abilities,' the paper said.
The book reported that the discussion took place in February 2024. No such test was taken in the end.
However, that summer Biden turned in a poor debate performance against Donald Trump that shocked voters and his fellow Democrats. Eventually, amid intense pressure to step down, Biden stood aside for Harris. Harris then went on to lose the presidential election to Trump, ushering in the former reality TV star and real estate mogul's second term.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Elon Musk deletes explosive Trump claim off social media as feud boils over
Elon Musk has sparked a political firestorm after posting — then deleting — a bombshell claim linking Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein. Elon Musk has deleted a post from his social media platform that made an explosive claim about Donald Trump. The billionaire tech mogul, who owns X (formerly Twitter), posted that Trump's name was mentioned in FBI files related to deceased paedophile Jeffrey Epstein – a claim the former president swiftly denied on his own platform, Truth Social. Musk had written: "Time to drop the really big bomb: Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!" He followed it up with another cryptic post: "Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out." Both messages were taken down earlier today. Trump hit back by reposting a message from his lawyer David Schoen, who said: "I was hired to lead Jeffrey Epstein's defence as his criminal lawyer 9 days before he died. He sought my advice for months before that. "I can say authoritatively, unequivocally, and definitively that he had no information to hurt President Trump. I specifically asked him!" Despite removing the bombshell post, there's little sign of the row between Musk and Trump easing any time soon, reports the Mirror. Musk's X account still features posts from recent days attacking Trump's proposed budget as an 'abomination,' predicting that his tariff plans would push the US into a recession later this year, and even calling for Trump's impeachment – suggesting Vice President JD Vance should replace him. According to reports, the feud intensified after Trump pulled his nomination of Jared Isaacson – a known Musk ally – to lead NASA. The New York Times reported Trump changed course after learning Isaacson had made donations to Democratic candidates, questioning his loyalty. In yet another deleted post, Musk hinted at reconciliation – but with conditions. "I'll offer a full throated apology only if there's a full dump of the Epstein files," he wrote. While Trump once vowed to release all records related to Epstein after taking office, that promise remains unfulfilled. FBI director Kash Patel and his deputy Dan Bongino – both longtime Trump allies – have since publicly distanced themselves from many of the conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein's death, theories that remain widespread among parts of the MAGA movement. In one bizarre episode, a group of social media influencers were invited to the White House and handed what were touted as 'the Epstein Files.' They later admitted the documents contained nothing new – only information already in the public domain. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
NBC News
2 hours ago
- NBC News
Trump says he thinks the government has a ‘very easy case' against Kilmar Abrego Garcia
President Donald Trump on Saturday said that it wasn't his decision to bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, back to the U.S. to face federal charges, saying the 'Department of Justice decided to do it that way, and that's fine.' 'That wasn't my decision,' Trump said of Abrego Garcia's return in a phone call with NBC News on Saturday. 'It should be a very easy case' for federal prosecutors, the president added. Trump added that he did not speak with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele about Abrego Garcia's return, even though the two men spoke about Abrego Garcia during an April meeting in the Oval Office. His remarks came after Abrego Garcia arrived back in the U.S. on Friday and was charged in an indictment alleging he transported people who were not legally in the country. The indictment came amid a protracted legal battle over whether to bring him back from El Salvador that escalated all the way up to the Supreme Court. Abrego Garcia's family and lawyers have called him a family man, while Trump and his administration have alleged that he is a member of the gang MS-13. The case drew national attention amid the Trump administration's broader push for mass deportations. After Abrego Garcia's deportation, lawyers for the Trump administration said he was deported in an ' administrative error,' as Abrego Garcia had previous legal protection from deportation to El Salvador. Still, the Trump administration did not attempt to bring Abrego Garcia back, even as the Supreme Court ruled that it had to ' facilitate ' his return to the U.S. Democrats, including Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., had for weeks said that Abrego Garcia was denied due process when he was detained and deported, arguing that he should have been allowed to defend himself from deportation before he was sent to El Salvador. Trump on Saturday called Van Hollen, who went to visit Abrego Garcia in jail in El Salvador in April, a 'loser' for defending the man's right to due process. 'He's a loser. The guy's a loser. They're going to lose because of that same thing. That's not what people want to hear,' the president said about Van Hollen. 'He's trying to defend a man who's got a horrible record of abuse, abuse of women in particular. No, he's a total loser, this guy.' On Friday, Attorney General Pam Bondi alleged that Abrego Garcia 'was a smuggler of humans and children and women. He made over 100 trips, the grand jury found, smuggling people throughout our country.' In a statement Friday, Abrego Garcia's lawyer called Bondi's move 'an abuse of power, not justice.'
NBC News
3 hours ago
- NBC News
Trump says Elon Musk will face 'very serious consequences' if he funds Democratic candidates
President Donald Trump on Saturday said there would be 'serious consequences' if tech mogul Elon Musk funds Democratic candidates to run against Republicans who vote in favor of the GOP's sweeping budget bill. 'If he does, he'll have to pay the consequences for that,' Trump told NBC News in a phone interview, but declined to share what those consequences would be. 'He'll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that,' he added. The president also said he has no desire to repair his relationship with Musk after a feud between the two men erupted into public view earlier this week. 'No,' Trump said when asked if he had any wish to do so. Asked if he thought his relationship with the Tesla and SpaceX CEO was over, Trump said, 'I would assume so, yeah.' Trump's comments were the most extensive since he and Musk exchanged threats and attacks on X and Truth Social earlier this week. He added that he thought the Republican Party was more unified than ever after the two men fell out in front of the world. Trump added that he has no plans to speak with Musk anytime soon, saying, 'I'm too busy doing other things' and 'I have no intention of speaking to him.' Trump also accused Musk of being 'disrespectful to the office of the President.' 'I think it's a very bad thing, because he's very disrespectful. You could not disrespect the office of the President,' he added. Musk on Thursday launched a barrage of posts on X against the president, including a now-deleted post highlighting the onetime links between the president and the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 'That's called 'old news,' that's been old news, that has been talked about for years,' Trump said on Saturday. 'Even Epstein's lawyer said I had nothing to do with it. It's old news.' For days, Musk had been critical of a GOP-led spending bill that the House passed last month. In the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump responded to Musk's criticisms, telling reporters, 'I'm very disappointed because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill. I'm very disappointed in Elon. I've helped Elon a lot.' Shortly after those comments, Musk launched his flurry of posts, including promoting a post calling for Trump to be impeached and another where he said the president's tariff agenda would cause a recession later this year. Trump on Thursday also responded with his own posts on Truth Social. In one post, he wrote, 'I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago,' suggesting that Musk knew what was in the bill before it was passed. He also wrote on Thursday, 'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!' referring to federal contracts with SpaceX. On Saturday, Trump said that he hadn't given his suggestion about canceling Musk's companies' federal contracts any more thought. 'I'd be allowed to do that,' he said, 'but I have, I haven't given it any thought.' He also cast doubt on the notion that Musk's opposition to the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' is jeopardizing the bill's chances of success, saying he's 'very confident' that the bill will pass the Senate before July 4. 'The Republican Party has never been united like this before. It's never been. It's actually more so than it was three days ago,' Trump said. Musk contributed major financial support to Trump's presidential bid in 2024, spending over a quarter of a billion dollars to boost him in swing states last year. In the first months of the administration, Trump put Musk in charge of DOGE, where he oversaw mass layoffs of federal workers and the shuttering or partial closing of several agencies. The feud, Trump said, has made lawmakers see the benefits of the bill. 'I think, actually, Elon brought out the strengths of the bill because people that weren't as focused started focusing on it, and they see how good it is,' Trump said. 'So in that sense, there was a big favor. But I think Elon, really, I think it's a shame that he's so depressed and so heartbroken.'
