The fact that Joe Biden’s health and ability to concentrate is not in good shape has been obvious since the TV duel with challenger Donald Trump. In a major investigation, the “Wall Street Journal” now shows the system that shielded the aging president from the environment and cleverly hid his decline – it was only in a live broadcast that the protective cocoon reached its limits.
The shielding began much earlier. Even in the 2020 election campaign that brought Biden to the White House, his wife was far busier than her husband. When her press secretary at the time, Michael LaRosa, mentioned her speed, he was quickly whistled back. “The more you talk about her, the worse you make him look,” LaRosa said to the WSJ.
Biden were protected
A team around Biden consistently isolated the president. The appointments with him became shorter and visitors were asked to limit themselves to a few points. And appointments with the president became increasingly rare. Leading politicians had difficulty getting the president’s ear at important moments, writes the “WSJ”, such as before the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Tasks that were supposed to be carried out by the president were delegated. Not only did the president disappear from the public eye, the public also disappeared from the president’s view. Negative stories were eliminated from the press compilations. After falling behind in the 2024 election, Biden didn’t talk to his own pollsters.
Presidents always have gatekeepers, according to the WSJ. “But in Biden’s case, the walls around him were higher and the controls tighter, Democratic lawmakers, donors and staffers who worked for Biden and other administrations told the WSJ. This was made possible by a small group of close aides.
Not up to the requirements
The journal meticulously lists Biden’s assistance and declining abilities. After a few minutes, the president forgot the lines his team had prepared. He was given detailed instructions on how to move and where to find stairs.
Even at the beginning of his presidency, it became clear that Biden was not up to the demands of the schedule. Appointments were kept very short and rescheduled for the few good hours in the day. On bad days, meetings were simply canceled. One adviser said: “He has good days and bad days, and today was a bad day, so we’ll address that tomorrow.”
Key Democratic lawmakers reported that they were unable to have personal access to the president. Former senior Cabinet officials told the paper it was difficult to tell whether Biden was isolated because of his age or whether he favored a powerful inner circle. Cabinet communications ran through this inner circle.
Moment of truth
Nevertheless, the Democratic Party followed Biden into the election campaign. They accepted that Biden was in a position to declare war on Trump. On June 27th the opposite was evident. At the TV duel in Atlanta, Biden searched for words and couldn’t finish his thoughts. The end came on July 13th when Biden tried to convince Democratic representatives. When the conversation didn’t go as hoped, Biden is said to have suddenly told the group that he had to go to church now, and then the call was over. Eight days later, he dropped out of the presidential race. But he will hold the office until the end of January 2025. The question is, who really rules the White House?
Source: WSJ
