The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) stunned readers this week with a story titled “Behind Closed Doors, Biden Shows Signs of Slipping.” The article detailed interviews with 45 Republicans and Democrats who spoke with the newspaper about personal interactions in private meetings with President Joe Biden in the past and current months. Despite considerable Democratic pushback, the Wall Street Journal stands by its reporting.
Concerns About Biden’s Mental State and Age
The WSJ article is the latest of several recent articles and news stories shedding light on Biden’s mental state and age. Biden is 81 years old but would be 86 at the end of a second presidential administration.
White House Response to the Report
Following the report, White House officials and Biden’s allies publicly criticized the publication and voiced support for Biden’s mental faculties, which were called into question in the article.
Criticism of the WSJ Article
Critics of the Wall Street Journal article attacked the authors for allegedly focusing only on Republican interview subjects, namely former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who has extensive experience meeting privately with Biden both when he was Vice President under the Obama Administration and over the past years of the Biden Administration.
Biden-Friendly Responses
One of the premier Biden-friendly responses to the WSJ article was an on-air segment from MSNBC’s Morning Joe, where host Joe Scarborough alleged that the article was a hit piece.
Scarborough said, “I’ve spent time privately with both guys, Biden and Trump. I’ve spent time with every House Speaker over the past 30 years. And Joe Biden, I’m not just– it’s just not close.” Scarborough continued, “If you want to talk about international affairs and how to get bipartisan legislation, Joe Biden is light-years ahead of all of them.”
Scarborough further alleged that the editors, rather than the reporters, were behind the unflattering article.
Basis of the WSJ Article
The article in question was based on interviews between journalists Annie Linskey and Siobhan Hughes and 45 individuals in meetings with Biden or briefed the President personally. The time frame of the article spans several months.
References to Biden’s Mental Faculties
Some of the references to Biden’s mental faculties involve less concerning recollections of Biden reading from notes during meetings or asking aides to respond to questions, to more regarding accounts that Biden spoke inaudibly or too variably or closed his eyes during meetings.
Criticism from Biden’s Allies
The most excellent thrust of criticism from Biden’s allies involves the alleged disproportionate nature of negative comments coming from Republican interview subjects, leading to a skewed view of Biden’s actual mental state. In the reporting, the WSJ acknowledged this fact, stating, “Most of those who said Biden performed poorly were Republicans, but some Democrats said that he showed his age in several of the exchanges.”
On-the-Record Comments
Additionally, while many interviewees were Republican, only one of them- former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy– was willing to speak on the record. McCarthy contributed this account of his dealings with Biden over the past 12 years or so, “I used to meet with him when he was Vice President. I’d go to his house… He’s not the same person.”
Democratic Response to McCarthy’s Comments
Democrats were quick to note that McCarthy, the key Republican source, had previously shared glowing reports of Biden on the record. White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates took to social media to post McCarthy’s past quotes praising Biden. Specifically, McCarthy called Biden “very professional, very smart. Very tough at the same time.”
Additional Democratic Responses
Another White House staffer, Communications Director Ben LaBolt, emphasized the same point, stating, “What a surprise– Republicans employing their election-year messaging strategy that contradicts their own prior words about @POTUS. Gambling in Casablanca!”
Senator Patty Murray Weighs In
Other Democratic leaders, including Democratic Washington Senator Patty Murray, were online to combat the troubling article. Murray said she had been interviewed for the article but was not quoted in the published piece.
Senator Murray Statement on X
On X, Murray wrote, “Surprise, surprise– everyone attacking @POTUS is a Republican with an agenda. I made clear to the @WSJ regarding the January meeting on Ukraine that the President was engaged and ran that meeting in a way that brought everyone together. I’m not quoted– I wonder why.”
Biden’s Campaign Manager’s Comments
Biden’s Presidential campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, has similarly tried to downplay the article’s impact. She said, “As someone who has spent and continues to spend a lot of time with the president and continues to, I think, ensure that I am living up to sort of his….strategic approach at every turn, I will say that he is, you know, just one of the strongest leaders that I’ve been able to engage and to be able to work with and to advise.”
Biden’s Reassurance to the Public
Biden has tried to reassure the public that he is able and fit to hold the office of President for four more years. Last week, in an interview with Time magazine, he was asked if he would be able to carry out his duties. Biden stated, “I can do it better than anybody.”
