Biden’s Closest Advisers Hid Truth About His Decline Throughout Term: Report

President Joe Biden was shielded by those in his inner circle who recognized his struggles as president, according to a report released late last week.

The New York Times, citing sources, noted that Biden’s aides observed he was not the same as he had been a few years earlier and worked to safeguard him as much as possible.

“The people closest to President Biden were well aware that he had changed. He talked more slowly than he had just a few years before, needed to hoist himself out of his seat in the presidential limousine, and walked with a halting gait,” the report stated.

In 2022, his longtime aide Mike Donilon reportedly warned the president that his “biggest issue is the perception of age.”

However, the president, described as being stubborn and defensive, disregarded that advice when he declared his intent to run for reelection in 2023, doing so before consulting with his aides or family, according to the Times.

During a January 5 interview with USA Today, Biden himself admitted uncertainty about his capacity to complete another term in office.

“Who knows what I’m going to be when I’m 86 years old?” he remarked at the time.

Following numerous interviews, the Times reported that aides “recognized his physical frailty to a greater degree than they have publicly acknowledged” and collaborated to address his challenges.

“They rearranged meetings to make sure Mr. Biden was in a better mood — a strategy one person close to him described as how aides should handle any president. At times, they delayed sharing information with him, including negative polling data, as they debated the best way to frame it. They surrounded him with aides when he walked from the White House to the waiting presidential helicopter on the South Lawn so that news cameras could not capture his awkward bearing,” the report detailed.

“They had Mr. Biden use a teleprompter for even small fund-raisers in private homes, alarming donors, who were asked to provide questions beforehand. They came up with replacing the grand steps that presidents use to board Air Force One with a shorter set that led directly into the belly of the plane. They chastised White House correspondents for coverage of the president’s age. They hand-delivered memos to Mr. Biden describing social media posts the campaign staff had persuaded allies to write that pushed back on negative articles and polls,” the report added.

The Times identified “six key people” who worked to shield the president from scrutiny:

First lady Jill Biden, his eldest son Hunter Biden, Donilon, presidential counselor Steve Ricchetti, Deputy Chief of Staff Annie Tomasini, and the first lady’s senior aide Anthony Bernal.

Biden’s presidency has been marred by controversies and personal setbacks, yet he appeared to face one last embarrassment before leaving the White House to President-elect Donald Trump.

During his farewell address last week, cameras captured Biden sitting on a pillow while at the Resolute Desk, as reported by the New York Post.

“Photos taken from just outside the Oval Office show the 82-year-old commander-in-chief with the small cushion wedged between the presidential rump and the seat of the seemingly firm leather chair,” the outlet noted.

The oldest-serving U.S. president has often struggled with balance, stamina, and mental clarity—whether stumbling on the stairs of Air Force One or faltering in speeches, frequently accompanied by gaffes and coughing.

The photos also showed an emergency box of tissues and a glass of water positioned to Biden’s right, just out of view from the front-facing cameras that broadcast his address to the nation.