Latest news with #DemocratsLostAmerica
Sky News AU
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
New book exposes Joe Biden's advisors not giving the then-president a cognitive test
A new book has exposed the actions of Joe Biden's advisors who chose not to give the then-president a cognitive test. According to The New York Times, Biden's advisors decided the then-president should not take the test over concerns the results would cast doubt on his age. The book, '2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America' is set to release in July and is penned by reporters Tyler Pager, Josh Dawsey and Isaac Arnsdorf from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. One of the moments covered in the book was about Biden's advisors discussing concerns about the then-president taking a cognitive test. According to the NYT, citing the book, the former president's advisers were confident Biden would pass. The advisers, however, were worried that Biden merely taking the test would raise questions about his mental acuity. The discussion over whether Biden should be tested happened in February 2024, months before his presidential debate against Donald Trump.
Mint
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Mint
‘Confident he would pass' — Biden's staff still avoided his cognitive test in Feb 2024 over backlash fears: New book
Former US President Joe Biden's top staff privately discussed the idea of having him take a cognitive test early in 2024, amid growing concerns about his age and mental sharpness, according to a forthcoming book by three political journalists. The book, 2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America, is co-authored by a New York Times journalist and details behind-the-scenes discussions within the Biden camp. 'Biden's aides were confident that he would pass a cognitive test,' the book says, according to the New York Times. 'But they worried that the mere fact of his taking one would raise new questions about his mental abilities.' The debate over the cognitive exam reportedly occurred in February 2024, while Biden was actively campaigning for a second term. Ultimately, the White House opted not to go forward with the test. The decision would later come under renewed scrutiny after Biden's disastrous June 2024 debate against Donald Trump, which raised alarms even among loyal Democrats. Biden's performance in the first debate stunned the political world, triggering calls from within his party for him to reconsider his campaign. 'I never saw that person — not a single time — that was on that debate stage,' former Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a recent interview, distancing herself from the fallout. Psaki left the White House in 2022. Under intense pressure following the debate, Biden ultimately suspended his campaign and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place on the ticket. Harris went on to become the Democratic nominee — but lost to Trump in the general election. The book suggests that early anxieties about Biden's age and fitness were known internally long before they exploded into public view. The book adds to the growing number of post-election analyses that argue the Democrats' failure to confront Biden's vulnerabilities earlier cost them the White House. Biden's late-stage decision to run — and his eventual withdrawal — may have reshaped how his presidency will be remembered. First Published: 5 May 2025, 03:03 AM IST
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Biden's team walked back idea of a public cognitive test in 2024 over optics concerns, new book says
Aides for Joe Biden considered having the then-81-year-old president undergo a cognitive test to prove his mental acuity — but ultimately decided the publicity of him taking it would cause more harm than good, a new book says. In the upcoming book 2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America, the authors — Tyler Pager of the New York Times, Josh Dawsey of the Wall Street Journal and Isaac Arnsdorf of the Washington Post — shed light on the critical few months before the president belatedly bowed out of his 2024 run. Although his aides were certain Biden would pass the test, some feared that the optics of him taking the test could raise concerns over his mental sharpness, according to the book, obtained by the New York Times. Biden's team discussed the matter in February 2024 — the same month that Special Counsel Robert Hur described him as a 'sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory' in his report on Biden's handling of classified documents. After the report's release, the then-president insisted, 'My memory is fine.' Months later, though, the world became worried about Biden's mental fitness after his fumbled debate performance against Donald Trump. In the wake of Biden's performance at the first debate, donors, media pundits, editorial boards and some Democrats urged the president to drop out of the 2024 race. Trump lied 30 times in the 90-minute debate, a CNN fact-check at the time found. Still, all eyes were on Biden. Later that month, the president quit the race. Even before the debate, Trump, although just three years younger than his Democratic rival, frequently played into Biden's cognitive abilities on the campaign trail in both 2020 and 2024. In 2020, Trump bragged about taking a cognitive test of his own. In an interview, he boasted about his memory recall of five words: 'person, woman, man, camera, TV.' He claimed the test was usually difficult for others, although not for him: 'If you get it in order you get extra points. [The doctor] said nobody gets it in order, it's actually not that easy, but for me, it was easy.' Back in 2022, some prominent Democrats grew concerned about Biden's age, citing his frequent gaffes and falls. David Axelrod, the chief strategist for Barack Obama's campaigns, told the Times at the time: 'The presidency is a monstrously taxing job and the stark reality is the president would be closer to 90 than 80 at the end of a second term, and that would be a major issue.' Although he praised Biden for "restoring decency' to the White House, passing notable legislation, and leading the country through the Covid-19 pandemic, Axelrod said he doesn't get the credit he deserves because of how he's perceived. 'He looks his age and isn't as agile in front of a camera as he once was, and this has fed a narrative about competence that isn't rooted in reality,' he said.
The Independent
04-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Biden's team walked back idea of a public cognitive test in 2024 over optics concerns, new book says
Aides for Joe Biden considered having the then-81-year-old president undergo a cognitive test to prove his mental acuity — but ultimately decided the publicity of him taking it would cause more harm than good, a new book says. In the upcoming book 2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America, the authors — Tyler Pager of the New York Times, Josh Dawsey of the Wall Street Journal and Isaac Arnsdorf of the Washington Post — shed light on the critical few months before the president belatedly bowed out of his 2024 run. Although his aides were certain Biden would pass the test, some feared that the optics of him taking the test could raise concerns over his mental sharpness, according to the book, obtained by the New York Times. Biden's team discussed the matter in February 2024 — the same month that Special Counsel Robert Hur described him as a 'sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory' in his report on Biden's handling of classified documents. After the report's release, the then-president insisted, 'My memory is fine.' Months later, though, the world became worried about Biden's mental fitness after his fumbled debate performance against Donald Trump. In the wake of Biden's performance at the first debate, donors, media pundits, editorial boards and some Democrats urged the president to drop out of the 2024 race. Trump lied 30 times in the 90-minute debate, a CNN fact-check at the time found. Still, all eyes were on Biden. Later that month, the president quit the race. Even before the debate, Trump, although just three years younger than his Democratic rival, frequently played into Biden's cognitive abilities on the campaign trail in both 2020 and 2024. In 2020, Trump bragged about taking a cognitive test of his own. In an interview, he boasted about his memory recall of five words: 'person, woman, man, camera, TV.' He claimed the test was usually difficult for others, although not for him: 'If you get it in order you get extra points. [The doctor] said nobody gets it in order, it's actually not that easy, but for me, it was easy.' Back in 2022, some prominent Democrats grew concerned about Biden's age, citing his frequent gaffes and falls. David Axelrod, the chief strategist for Barack Obama's campaigns, told the Times at the time: 'The presidency is a monstrously taxing job and the stark reality is the president would be closer to 90 than 80 at the end of a second term, and that would be a major issue.' Although he praised Biden for "restoring decency' to the White House, passing notable legislation, and leading the country through the Covid-19 pandemic, Axelrod said he doesn't get the credit he deserves because of how he's perceived. 'He looks his age and isn't as agile in front of a camera as he once was, and this has fed a narrative about competence that isn't rooted in reality,' he said.
The Guardian
04-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
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.
