FLASHBACK: Media, Dems Passionately Defended Biden’s Ability To Serve
Despite concerns about President Biden’s mental health and fitness to seek a second term, the media, leading Democrats, and other prominent figures staunchly defended him throughout his presidency.
Interviews conducted by The Wall Street Journal with nearly 50 individuals, including current and former White House staff, revealed that Biden’s declining stamina became apparent within the first months of his administration.
One former staffer recalled a national security official explaining the cancellation of a spring 2021 meeting by saying, “He has good days and bad days, and today was a bad day so we’re going to address this tomorrow.”
In response to the report, the White House pushed back strongly against its claims, asserting that Biden’s achievements are “indisputable proof” of his competence and leadership.
White House spokesperson Andrew Bates stated, “President Biden speaks with members of his Cabinet daily, and with most members multiple times a week, staying in close touch with them about implementation of key laws and strengthening our national security. During every presidency, there are inevitably some in Washington who do not receive as much time with whomever the president is as they would prefer; but that never means that the president isn’t engaging thoroughly with others, as this president does.”
Top Democrats and media figures fervently supported Biden amidst doubts about his abilities.
In March, as speculation about Biden’s capability to seek re-election grew, Joe Scarborough of MSNBC’s Morning Joe delivered a passionate on-air defense, saying, “F-you,” to skeptics.
“I’ve said it for years now, he’s cogent. But I undersold it when I said he was cogent, he’s far beyond cogent. In fact, I think he’s better than he’s ever been, intellectually, analytically, because he’s been around for fifty years,” Scarborough remarked. “Start your tape right now because I’m about to tell you the truth. And f-you if you can’t handle the truth. This version of Biden, intellectually, analytically, is the best Biden ever.”
After the June debate, which led to Biden withdrawing his bid for re-election, Scarborough expressed disappointment over missed opportunities against President-elect Donald Trump. He also dismissed a June WSJ report about Biden’s abilities, calling it a “Trump hit piece.”
Vice President Kamala Harris consistently defended Biden against criticism of his performance. Two weeks before the election, Harris told Hallie Jackson of NBC News, “Joe Biden is an extremely accomplished, experienced, and capable in every way that anyone would want if they’re president.”
Regarding the president’s June debate performance, she described it as simply “a bad night.”
During her first interview as a presidential candidate in August, Harris reaffirmed her trust in Biden’s capabilities. “I have served with President Biden for almost four years now and I’ll tell you, it’s one of the greatest honors of my career, truly. He cares so deeply about the American people. He is so smart and loyal to the American people. And I have spent hours upon hours with him being in the Oval Office or the situation room. He has the intelligence, the commitment, and the judgment and disposition that I think the American people rightly deserve in their president,” Harris said.
Appearing on The View in January 2024, Harris accused Republicans of pushing a narrative about Biden’s unfitness because they had “nothing to run on.” In a New York Times interview in November 2023, she argued, “Age is more than a chronological fact,” and insisted Biden was “absolutely authoritative in rooms around the globe.”
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also downplayed concerns about Biden’s fitness. In June 2022, she told CNN that she sometimes struggled to keep up with Biden. “Don, you’re asking me this question,” she said to host Don Lemon. “Oh my gosh. He’s the President of the United States.” Laughing, she added, “That is not a question that we should be even asking.”
In October 2023, Gen. Mark Milley addressed concerns about Biden’s age during a CBS 60 Minutes interview. Milley, who stepped down as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in September 2023, reassured viewers, “I engage with him frequently and [he is] alert, sound, does his homework, reads the papers, reads all the read-ahead material. And he’s very, very engaging in issues of very serious matters of war and peace and life and death. So if the American people are worried... they can rest easy.”
Sen. Chris Coons, a close Biden ally, also supported the president. In a Fox News interview, Coons stated, “I do not hang out with the president on the weekends. I don’t spend time with him, socializing and in person. My experience with him in the time up to that debate led me to believe that he was fully capable of competently leading our nation.”
Cabinet members echoed similar sentiments. DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in September that he has “full confidence in President Biden’s ability to do his job,” a position reiterated by DHS this week. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo praised Biden as “one of the most accomplished presidents in American history,” leading with a “steady hand.”