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Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
The most glaring examples of Joe Biden's decline, even as the White House covered it up
The truth about President Joe Biden 's physical and mental decline is getting more coverage thanks to Democrats finally conceding it was a mistake for him to run again in 2024. Most of them blame Biden's family and closest aides for hiding the truth about the president's condition despite obvious signs that he was suffering the effects of old age. However, in truth, concerns about Biden's age and glaring examples of its effects were apparent as early as his 2020 campaign at the age of 77. At the time, the most favorable interpretation was that it was just 'Biden being Biden' - he was the affable gaffe-ridden politician who struggled from early youth with a stutter. Biden won the presidency in 2020, but he was protected in a closely watched cocoon of staff as the coronavirus pandemic raged and his public and media appearances were limited and carefully scripted. His isolation only added to his disoriented demeanor when he forgot to wear his coronavirus mask at times, leaving it behind or fumbling for the right words during a press conference. Here are some of the biggest moments that show the former president's decline had been apparent for some time: March 18, 2021: Biden falls on the stairs of Air Force One The president fell repeatedly on the stairs while boarding Air Force One, on a trip to Atlanta, Georgia, despite trying and failing to stand up and regain his balance. White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted the president was doing '100 percent fine' and blamed the wind for his stumbles. August 19, 2021: Biden makes multiple errors in interview about Afghanistan During the botched exit from Afghanistan, President Biden continued keeping his remarks closely scripted for days, refusing to respond to shouted questions from reporters and staying on script with his talking points. The country was not satisfied with his responses, prompting staff to schedule an interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos to allow the president to defend his decision to pull U.S. troops from Afghanistan Biden made multiple errors and gaffes throughout the interview that aired on August 19, 2021 and they had to be clarified and corrected by the White House. The terrorist suicide bombing that killed 13 American warfighters and more than 170 Afghan civilians shook Biden as he struggled to defend the botched exit from the country. August 26, 2021: Joe Biden's botched press conference When he finally took questions from the press at a news conference on Afghanistan, Biden found himself frustrated, struggling to finish sentences and recall basic facts and talking points. At one moment he bowed his head with frustration and anger, clenching his briefing book of talking points as Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked him a question. Even many who voted for Biden questioned the president's ability to handle the chaotic events, and the decisions he made about the way to withdraw forces from Afghanistan. January 2022: White House clarifies Biden's remarks on Russia Biden held an extended press conference after a long drought in communications with the White House press but staff rushed to clarify his remarks about Russia making a 'minor incursion' into Ukraine that might not trigger a response from the United States and NATO allies. A National Security Council spokeswoman immediately said that Biden was only speaking about possible non-military, paramilitary, or cyber attacks. The president had not even finished speaking when the clarifications began. March 2022: White House rushes to correct Biden's comment about Putin White House staff scrambled to correct Biden after he delivered a speech in Poland to confront Russian President Vladimir Putin's aggression in Ukraine. 'For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power,' Biden declared forcefully, suggesting he was supportive of regime change in Russia. The White House immediately said that Biden's comments were not about regime change and that it was not in his prepared remarks. Biden himself was frustrated by his staff's corrections, wondering if they would have done the same for former presidents who routinely went off script like Ronald Reagan. June 2022: Biden tips over on his bike While riding his bicycle on his beach vacation, Biden stopped to talk to a group of people and tripped over when he came to a stop. He later explained his spill was the result of his feet getting clipped into the pedals. That summer, Biden's coughing was no longer smothered by the occasional cough drop, his voice grew thinner and weaker, and his gait grew more stiff, prompting additional questions about his abilities. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre repeatedly defended Biden's acuity. 'Oh, my gosh, he's the President of the United States, you know, he – I can't even keep up with him,' she told CNN's Don Lemon in an interview, urging skeptics to look at the work he was achieving. August 2022: Joe Biden struggles with his jacket President Biden traveled for a visit in Kentucky but found himself lost on the tarmac as he struggled to put on his suit jacket for about 15 agonizing seconds. First Lady Jill Biden ultimately assisted him and started walking off but the president's sunglasses then fell off his face, prompting him to stop down and pick them back up. September 2022: Where's Jackie? President Biden sparked more concern after he arrived at an event with members of Congress and called out to Rep. Jackie Walorski, who had passed away more than a month earlier in a car crash. 'Jackie are you here? Where's Jackie?' Biden said, appearing unaware of her passing. The White House defended Biden's question and would only say that the deceased congresswoman was 'top of mind,' during his remarks. June 2023: Joe Biden trips on stage President Biden tripped over a sandbag and fell sprawling on stage at the Air Force Academy's commencement ceremony. White House aides responded that the president was 'fine' after the undignified incident. 'Calm down you nervous nellies,' wrote Biden's former chief of staff Ron Klain on social media, scolding Democrats for questioning the president's health. October 2023: Special Counsel Robert Hurr sounds a warning President Biden struggled during his interview with Special counsel Robert Hur about classified documents found in his possession. Hur's report revealed his honest assessment that Biden was a 'sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory.' Biden struggled to remember key details about his life after his vice presidency. Hur wrote that he couldn't recall the date when his son Beau died. When the details were released in early January, Biden was furious about the accusation. He was running for reelection and already fighting off suggestions that he was too old to be seeking a second term. Biden held a press conference defending his abilities, but after insisting 'my memory is fine,' he mistakenly referred to the president of Egypt, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, as 'the president of Mexico' without correcting himself. April, 2024: Joe Biden reads the word 'pause' off of the teleprompter President Biden visited union members in Washington, DC where he appeared to read the world 'pause' off of his teleprompter instructions. 'Four more years. Pause,' he said, as members of the Members of North America's Building Trades Unions ultimately chanted 'Four more years!' after the president's mistake. June 11, 2024: Joe Biden freezes at White House concert President Biden attended a White House concert to celebrate the Juneteenth holiday, but observers expressed alarm as the president froze for a solid minute as people around him danced and sang. At one point, he appeared to forget where he was, looking around confused prompting others around him to reach out and engage with him. June 14, 2024: Joe Biden wanders off at the G7 summit After President Joe Biden and other world leaders watched a parachute jump, the president slowly stated walking away. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni walked over to guide him back to the group for a photo opportunity with the other world leaders. The embarrassing video went viral but the White House repeatedly dismissed it as a 'cheap-fake,' asserting that the video failed to show the paratrooper that Biden was trying to walk over and talk to. June 16, 2024: Barack Obama guides Biden off stage Throughout the 2024 campaign, Biden's staff repeatedly defended the president's mental and physical abilities. But behind the scenes donors attending fundraising events were incredibly alarmed as he often trailed off during speeches and struggled to remember who he was talking to. After a fundraiser with President Obama, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, and Jimmy Kimmel, Biden paused and gazed out at the crowd appearing confused when he was supposed to be exiting the stage. Former President Barack Obama paused and reached back to help guide Biden off of the stage. It was not an isolated event. Biden appeared at times to be lost on stage, looking to staff to point him in the proper direction. Biden's public demeanor was so bad by the summer of 2024 that donors were openly questioning the president's decision to run for reelection. June 27, 2024: President Joe Biden participates in the CNN Presidential Debate In the presidential debate in June 2024, Biden struggled to finish his sentences and mixed up his prepared talking points as he tried to compete with Trump. Biden's frail, hoarse and raspy voice alarmed debate viewers as he claimed there were 'a thousand trillionaires' in the United States who needed to be taxed more. Later in the debate he declared that 'we finally beat Medicare' and struggled to deliver his prepared attacks on Trump. 'I really don't know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don't think he knows what he said either,' Trump quipped. The botched debate performance prompted a host of Democrats to publicly call for Biden to exit the race. But Biden refused. President Biden visited union members in Washington, DC where he appeared to read the world 'pause' off of his teleprompter instructions. 'Four more years. Pause,' he said, as members of the Members of North America's Building Trades Unions ultimately chanted 'Four more years!' after the president's mistake. July 11, 2024: NATO Summit Biden introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as 'President Putin' before correcting himself. The president also referred to his vice president as 'Trump' instead of Kamala Harris during a press conference at the summit. 'Look, I wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president if I didn't think she was qualified to be president,' he said. Biden continued insisting he was 'fine' and fit for reelection. 'If I slow down, I can't get the job done. That's a sign that I shouldn't be doing it. But there's no indication of that yet, none,' he said. July 21, 2024: Biden withdraws from the presidential election Amid intense pressure, Biden announced his decision to exit the race in a 1:46 pm post on X. He later detailed his decision in an Oval Office address: 'I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for America's future all merited a second term, but nothing - nothing - can come in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition,' he said. 'So, I've decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. That's the best way to unite our nation.'
Fox News
5 days ago
- Health
- Fox News
Credibility Crisis: Media embraced Biden White House's 'cheap fakes' narrative leading up to ill-fated debate
The Biden White House and its allies in the legacy media were essentially telling voters not to believe their lying eyes in 2024 when pushing the now-infamous "cheap fakes" narrative. A new book detailing Biden's cognitive decline has dominated headlines and has reignited scrutiny of how the media shielded the then-presumptive Democratic nominee, particularly when it came to his age. In the weeks leading up to the disastrous debate performance exposing his cognitive decline on the world stage, Biden went viral on multiple occasions in videos his critics said showed him losing his faculties. The first was of him appearing completely frozen while others danced around him at Juneteenth celebration at the White House. The second was of him appearing to wander off at the G-7 Summit away from other world leaders while trying to engage with paratroopers, only to be corralled by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The third was Biden's freezing moment at an L.A. fundraiser which showed former President Barack Obama escorting him offstage. It wasn't until the latter that the Biden White House latched onto the term "cheap fakes" to describe the viral videos they said were misleading and peddled by right-wing foes of the then-presumptive Democratic nominee. "I think you have all called this the 'cheap fakes' video. And that's exactly what they are," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at a press briefing last June. "They're done in bad faith." Jean-Pierre was likely referring to The Washington Post, a pioneer in dismissing Biden's viral moments as "cheap fakes." The Post used "cheap fakes" to shield Biden from scrutiny as early as July 2022 in a fact check accusing an RNC social media post of painting "a misleading picture of mental fitness" based on a viral moment Biden had while in Israel. It defined "cheap fakes" as "the practice of misrepresenting events that take place in a video by adding or leaving out context." Fast-forward to June 2024, when The Post published a lengthy report combating Republicans sharing embarrassing clips of Biden during his trip to Normandy, including when he awkwardly paused while bending to sit down as others remained standing. "Such deceptively edited videos, known as 'cheap fakes,' have become staples of Republican attacks against the president," The Post told readers at the time. NBC News accused Republicans of pushing a "false" narrative by claiming Biden was wandering aimlessly at the G7 summit. "Experts have warned that while advanced technology like generative artificial intelligence can spread misinformation, so-called cheap fakes that often use only minor or selective editing can be more effective at spreading false narratives," NBC News wrote. The New York Times ran a story with the headline "How Misleading Videos Are Trailing Biden as He Battles Age Doubts," insisting the viral clips were either "edited or lack[ed] context," and CBS News released a report sounding the alarm on "cheap fakes" and their impact on the upcoming election, echoing the White House's claim that Biden is "victim to a simpler version of 'deepfakes.'" CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter offered an explainer of what "cheap fakes" are and similarly warned about their impact on the 2024 race. "We've been worried for years about AI deepfakes that computer-generated images are going to trick people into believing something that's totally false. Cheap fakes are a little bit simpler," Stelter said. "They're cheap," he continued. "They're just distorted, out-of-context videos chopped up in certain ways, constructed in certain ways. That's what we're seeing." CNN host Abby Phillip offered a rather sober message to her viewers, saying, "The November choice is between two old men. We know that. But tonight, I want to talk to you about the Joe Biden that Republicans want you to see and the pipeline of videos that aren't telling the full truth. And those videos are probably right now clogging the public consciousness as Americans start to think about their votes." MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace condemned the "highly misleading and selectively edited videos," calling out the "insidious" trend from right-wing media. The Associated Press ran its own fact-check attempting to debunk the claim that Biden froze at the L.A. fundraiser. "CLAIM: Biden froze onstage during his fundraiser in Los Angeles on Saturday night and had to be led away by Obama," AP wrote. "THE FACTS: Biden paused amid cheers and applause as he exited the stage with his predecessor following an interview moderated by late-night host Kimmel." Perhaps Biden's strongest media defender regarding the false "cheap fakes" narrative was CNN's media reporter Oliver Darcy, who has since left the network. "These outlets are wrapping these videos in very misleading context, right? Saying that this is evidence that Biden was freezing. He's not able to walk offstage on his own, and that's obviously not the case, but that's how it's been portrayed in right-wing media," Darcy told CNN's Kaitlan Collins. "And it plays into this years-long narrative where they have tried to portray Biden as a senile old man incapable of governing the country. And this is just the latest example," Darcy said. "These attacks are obviously ramping up in the lead-up to the November election." Jake Tapper, CNN anchor and the co-author of "Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again," now acknowledges the Biden White House lied about the "cheap fakes" while discussing Biden's L.A. fundraiser, which became a major focal point in his book. "The Biden White House falsely- when people showed that clip and asked what was going on- said it was a 'cheap fake.' They did this all the time when there was video that seemed to show Biden acting in an odd or unusual, seemingly out-of-it way, they would call it a 'cheap fake.' It was not fake. It was actual video," Tapper said on CNN earlier this month.
Fox News
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
'Original Sin' co-author exposes 'frantic efforts' to hide Biden's cognitive decline
Members of former President Joe Biden's inner circle "weren't telling the truth" when describing him as "sharp," "focused" and "detail-oriented," Axios national political correspondent Alex Thompson said Sunday — adding that the media fell short in challenging the narrative. The co-author of the new book "Original Sin," which details what many view as a calculated, years-long effort to conceal the former president's decline in the run-up to the 2024 election, joined "Fox News Sunday" to shed light on the inner workings of the Biden White House. "They weren't telling the truth, and I think the book really conclusively shows what was going on behind the scenes," he said, weighing in on a series of statements from top Biden officials — including then-Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas, former press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and former Chief of Staff Ron Klain — who, at various times, portrayed Biden as intellectually sharp and fully in control. Jean-Pierre even dismissed "right-wing critics" by blaming "cheap fake" videos and selectively edited media. But, according to Thompson, the reality behind closed doors told a different story. "Throughout 2023 and 2024, there were steps taken to increasingly shield Joe Biden — not just from the public, but from members of his own cabinet, members of his own senior staff," he said. "One White House official who left in 2024 told us that they left in part because they were not comfortable with how they were trying to shield the extent of the decline." Thompson said Biden's condition became harder to conceal as time went on, and the now infamous debate performance against then-candidate Donald Trump in June 2024 shattered any remaining illusions. "The Joe Biden that people saw on that debate stage… I think the book really shows it was not the first time that Joe Biden had acted like that. You can also listen to the tapes from the Robert Hur investigation. I think you can sort of hear 'debate Biden,' and there were increasingly frantic efforts to make sure that the public did not see 'debate Biden' while the public did see that he was aging," he continued. Thompson said Biden's debate performance was likely a "shock" to millions of Americans who finally saw the "extent" of the News Digital has written extensively dating back to the 2020 presidential campaign about former President Joe Biden's cognitive decline and his inner circle's role in covering it up.
Fox News
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Credibility crisis: When CNN criticized questioning Biden's mental fitness
A CNN anchor is the co-author of a buzzy new book that sheds light on President Joe Biden's apparent mental decline in office and the cover-up orchestrated by his team, but various CNN figures were critical in the past of narratives that questioned his fitness. As Jake Tapper and co-author Alex Thompson promote "Original Sin," an account of the cover-up that features high-level Democratic sources, media critics have noted CNN and other mainstream outlets downplayed or were even hostile to the suggestion that Biden could be losing his grip before last year's debate against President Donald Trump. Here are four examples at CNN. Videos of Biden freezing up or appearing confused at various events went viral throughout 2024, but the White House aggressively pushed back, saying some of them were edited in a misleading fashion or didn't show what they purported. The term "cheap fakes" was popularized, and press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre noted from the podium that fact-checkers and mainstream outlets also embraced the term. CNN White House correspondent Arlette Saenz pushed the White House's narrative last year about a video of Biden appearing to freeze up at a fundraiser with Jimmy Kimmel, saying Biden had merely "looked out at the crowd for a few seconds" before walking offstage with President Barack Obama, adding that "Republicans and right-leaning media outlets" "used this moment to say that President Biden froze." Moments later during a panel discussion, CNN commentator and former Kamala Harris adviser Jamal Simmons called Biden's fundraiser moment an "obviously selected video." "These are cheap fakes, [as] the White House and Biden people are calling them," Simmons told CNN's Erin Burnett. Tapper feels differently about them. "The Biden White House falsely- when people showed that clip and asked what was going on- said it was a 'cheap fake.' They did this all the time when there was video that seemed to show Biden acting in an odd or unusual, seemingly out-of-it way, they would call it a 'cheap fake.' It was not fake. It was actual video," Tapper said last week. In a story in the aftermath of the Robert Hur report where Biden was memorably described as an elderly man with a poor memory, CNN's website published an article expressing concerns about both Biden and Trump and what type of cognitive ability was normal for a person in their 80s. The article cited a professor who said Biden's issues with word recall were not necessarily indicative of someone having memory issues. Biden at times during the interview with Hur had difficulty remembering when he was vice president and the year of his son Beau's death in 2015. The article concluded with the professor saying that ageism was codified in how people talk to one another, suggesting that the skepticism about Biden was a form of prejudice against the elderly. "Ageism is not just what people do to each other. Ageism is also a mindset that you carry within yourself," the professor said. "It actually impacts your health negatively." Ex-CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy repeatedly hammered proponents of the idea that Biden was in mental decline in his "Reliable Sources" newsletter before leaving CNN last year. "For years, and particularly over the last few months, MAGA Media has portrayed Biden as a senile, mentally incapacitated elderly man who cannot remember what he had for breakfast, let alone run the federal government," Darcy wrote in a newsletter last June, before the then-president's disastrous debate. Darcy declared the debate would give Biden an easy chance to "puncture the narrative" that he lacked fitness for office, suggesting Republicans had stupidly lowered the bar so much that Biden would easily clear it and come out of the debate stronger. "That's a worry for right-wing media figures, which risk seeing their bogus narrative about Biden being ripped up in real time," he wrote. Darcy also blasted the Wall Street Journal report last June about Biden's behind-the-scenes decline in his newsletter, saying it "owes its readers — and the public — better." Asked for comment by Fox News Digital about his past coverage, Darcy, who left CNN last year to start his own newsletter called Status, pointed to his newsletter Wednesday where he declared conservative media outlets were taking an undeserved victory lap. "For years, right-wing media pushed a warped narrative of Joe Biden as a brain-dead puppet controlled by sinister, shadowy forces. Now they're demanding vindication—but they do not deserve it," he wrote. Even after Biden dropped out of the race last July, "The View" co-host and CNN commentator Ana Navarro was committed to defending his mental acuity in office. Later that week, Manhattan Institute official Reihan Salam wondered if Biden should even stay in office until his term ended, but Navarro erupted that any talk about his state behind the scenes was mere speculation. "No, it is speculation! It is speculation! Because actually, unlike you, I've actually seen the guy at 9:00 at night. I have seen him after he has had five different events in 24 hours," Navarro said at one point. Navarro appeared to have a strong interest in Biden, beyond that of a typical media pundit. Although she continues to identify as a Republican, the left-wing commentator is an avid supporter of the Democratic Party, hosted the second night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention, and has referred to Biden and Harris as "Uncle Joe" and "Auntie Kamala." CNN has stood behind Tapper's past reporting in light of his new job, pointing to examples when he aggressively covered the subject. For his part, however, Tapper has said he feels "humility" about his past work on Biden and praised conservative media outlets for discussing what was in plain sight.
Fox News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Credibility crisis: Karine Jean-Pierre's defense of Biden's mental fitness over the years
The revelations about former President Joe Biden's declining health while he was in office have brought a new spotlight on what officials in his administration said at the time about the former president's health. One of the most outspoken officials defending Biden's mental and physical stamina was White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. She has been on record denying that the former president was experiencing cognitive decline or other health issues from as early as 2022. When then-CNN anchor Don Lemon asked Jean-Pierre if Biden would have the "stamina" necessary to complete a second term in June 2022, she appeared shocked at the question. "That is not a question that we should be even asking," she said before adding that reports of Biden's declining cognitive faculties were "hearsay." "Don, you're asking me this question. Oh my gosh. He's the President of the United States… just look at the work he does. And look how he's delivering for the American public," she said. Jean-Pierre called reports of Biden capping events as early as 10 a.m. because he was fatigued "ridiculous assumptions," in an August 2023 press conference. The following month, when questioned whether Biden's staff "treats him like a baby" the press secretary pushed back. "No one treats the President of the United States, the commander in chief, like a baby. That's ridiculous. It's a ridiculous claim," she responded. After Special Counsel Robert Hur declined to prosecute Biden for the alleged mishandling of classified documents last year, claiming that a jury would consider him to be a sympathetic "elderly man with a poor memory," Jean-Pierre said his assessment "does not live in reality." "The reality is, that report, that part of the report does not live in reality. It just doesn't. It is gratuitous. It is unacceptable, and it does not live in reality," Pierre said at the time. CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson's new book, "Original Sin," details disturbing accounts of the Biden White House's inner workings, which show that the president's senior staffers were attempting to hide his alleged cognitive decline from the public and even his own Cabinet. The book reports that Cabinet secretaries were denied access to the then-president, his aides openly mused about whether he would need to be put in a wheelchair if he made it to a second term, Biden frequently forgot his staffers' names, and he did not even recognize famous supporter George Clooney when the two were face-to-face at a 2024 fundraiser. She also dismissed videos of Biden appearing disoriented or frail as "cheap fakes" and insisted that they were based on "misinformation" in a June 2024 interview with MSNBC's Nicole Wallace. "It's also very insulting to the folks, the viewers who are watching it. And so we believe we have to call that out. We've been calling it 'cheap fakes.' That is something that came directly from the media outlets in calling it that, the fact-checkers and calling it that," Jean-Pierre said. She made similar remarks in the briefing room. After Biden's debate performance in June alarmed Democrats and started a pressure campaign to force him out of the 2024 race, Jean-Pierre remained steadfast at the podium. At one point, she said Biden was sharper than ever. After he dropped out of the race last July, Jean-Pierre was pressed by Fox News' Peter Doocy on whether there was a White House "cover-up" of his health. "First of all, there's been no cover-up," Jean-Pierre told Doocy, adding, "I want to be very clear about that." Jean-Pierre didn't respond to a request for comment.
