Former President Bill Clinton is defending Joe Biden against renewed scrutiny about the 81-year-old’s physical and mental condition during his presidency.
The defense comes in light of growing concern over a recently released book alleging that those closest to Biden had long seen signs of serious decline, and that efforts were made to conceal his actual mental capacity from the public.
During an appearance on CBS Sunday Morning, correspondent Tracy Smith raised the topic of Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, a book co-authored by CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios journalist Alex Thompson.
The book describes the internal alarm among Biden’s inner circle, claiming those around the president recognized both cognitive and physical deterioration before his decision to pursue a second term.
Smith directly asked Clinton if he had ever observed anything suggesting Biden wasn’t fit to seek reelection.
“No,” Clinton responded. “I thought he was a good president. The only concern I thought he had to deal with was, could anybody do that job until they were 86?” he said, referring to Biden’s age had he completed a second term.
“And we did several long talks,” he added. “I had never seen him and walked away thinking, He can’t do this anymore. He was always on top of his briefs.”
When Smith questioned him further, Clinton denied having any insider knowledge that cosigned the allegations of Tapper and Thompson’s book.
“No. So, I didn’t know anything about any of this. And I haven’t read the book,” he noted. “And I saw President Biden not very long ago, and I thought he was in good shape. But the book didn’t register with me ’cause I never saw him that way.”
Clinton said he chose not to read the book because, in his words, Biden is “not president anymore, and I think he did a good job.”
He then suggested that the criticism may be politically motivated, saying, “some people are trying to use this as a way to blame him for the fact that Trump was re-elected.”
Biden addressed the concerns during a tense exchange with reporters. His tone turned combative when asked about his fitness for office, appearing to mock the allegations.
“You can see that I’m mentally incompetent and I can’t walk, and I can beat the hell out of both of them,” Biden said, seemingly referring to Tapper and Thompson.
Despite the mounting criticism, Biden maintained that he stood by his decision to run for reelection in 2024.
He dismissed speculation that he should have stepped aside earlier, claiming his dominance within the Democratic Party discouraged any primary challenges.
“Why didn’t they run against me then?” Biden asked reporters Friday in New Castle, Delaware. “Because I would’ve beaten them.”
Biden ultimately bowed out of the race on July 21, 2024, just weeks after his widely panned debate showing against Trump, which fueled concerns about his capabilities.
Meanwhile, Democrats have been largely evasive on whether Biden’s withdrawal should have come sooner.
Senator Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) dodged a direct answer on the topic during an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press.
Instead, he pivoted to attacking a Republican-backed tax and spending proposal set for Senate review this week.
“Here is what we absolutely know about last year’s election: It’s over. And I’m going to spend all of my energy focused on the task in front of us,” Warnock told host Kristen Welker, before launching into criticism of the legislation.
According to Warnock, the bill could result in millions losing access to healthcare, painting it as a threat not only to Americans’ well-being but to the economy as a whole.
“The Republicans are trying to push forward this big, ugly bill that’s going to literally cut as many as 7 million Americans off of their health care. It is a drag not only on their health care, it is a drag on the American economy,” he said.
He linked the legislation to the Trump administration’s policy agenda, which includes tariffs that he claims have made grocery prices spike.
“This is an unfunded mandate at a time when Donald Trump’s tariff tax is literally raising the cost of groceries,” Warnock said.
“And so I’ve got my sleeves rolled up and in front of me is the American people, the people of Georgia. I’m doing everything I can to save them from Trump’s big, ugly bill.”
Welker circled back to the original question about Biden’s decision to remain in the race, noting that she “didn’t hear a direct answer to the question there.” Before she could move on, Warnock jumped back in, again pivoting to the Republican bill.
“Well, I take very seriously my job. The people of Georgia hired me to stand up for them. And this really is a critical week,” he concluded.
The democratic party politicians remind me of a movie I once say, where one of the actors portrayed by Joey Bishop told a friend, never admit to anything even if you are caught in the act.
Mind B Gone Bill
Warnock is “my” senator, unfortunately.
Bill Clinton’s claim is so rediculous, I believe he’s scared to death of what Hilary will do to him if he claims otherwise.