Joe Biden’s week from hell was punctuated on the Fourth of July, with sources revealing he told Democratic governors behind closed doors that he, the most powerful politician on the planet, has asked his advisers to no longer schedule events that begin later than 8 p.m.
It’s a bombshell revelation, first reported by The New York Times, that further calls into question Biden’s fitness and position atop Democrats’ presidential ticket.
Biden has been adamant since his disaster of a debate a week ago that he has no plans to bow out of the 2024 election, despite some top Democrats, donors, and physicians sharing publicly that he’s physically incapable of another four years.
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The president struggled to make a coherent point during last week’s debate about even the most important of issues, like abortion.
Reuters/Brian SnyderThursday’s report appears to confirm Biden backers’ biggest fears—that, at 81, the president has become a part-time leader, only comfortable serving in his full capacity early in the day.
Sources told the Times that Biden said he’s stepping back from evening events so he can get more sleep. The comments came in a meeting with Democratic governors who flew to Washington for a meeting Wednesday that Biden’s camp hoped would reassure he’s still in command of his job.
Since Biden’s debate performance, in which he struggled to speak coherently at times and did little to push back against an avalanche of lies spewed by Donald Trump, there’s been multiple damning reports about his declining cognitive state.
That included a report from Axios, which wrote Saturday—citing White House sources—that Biden has recently struggled to work productively beyond 4 p.m. most days.
Last week’s debate was held at 9 p.m. local time, well past the president’s soon-t0-be bedtime. The next debate, slated for September, is expected to begin at the same time.
Spokespeople for Biden’s campaign and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
While Biden’s comment about late-night events was surely eyebrow-raising, those who attended Wednesday’s meeting didn’t indicate they believe Biden needs to throw in the towel on his five-and-a-half decade political career just yet—at least, not publicly.
Take Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for example. The 52-year-old, rising star Democrat shared to X after Wednesday’s meeting that Biden “is our nominee.”
“He is in it to win it and I support him,” she said.
Joe Biden and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer met with autoworkers after the United Auto Workers (UAW) endorsed Biden’s re-election bid earlier this year.
Reuters/Kevin LamarqueThe Times reported that some governors appeared concerned with Biden’s health. That included Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, a physician, who asked about his medical wellbeing.
Biden reportedly answered that his health was fine, responding back jokingly that, “It’s just my brain.” The Times reported that some governors laughed, but at least one appeared puzzled by the quip in such a pivotal time.
Biden also reportedly told governors he’d been examined by his physician since the debate because of the supposed cold he was suffering from. The Times reported that Biden claimed the physician also said “he was fine.”
As chatter about what he should do next inundates him, Biden has reportedly been leaning harder on his inner circle, including his wife, Jill Biden, and his embattled son, Hunter Biden.
NBC News reported late Wednesday that both of them have pushed Biden to remain in the presidential race and to fire some of his top advisers, but the White House issued extensive denials of the report.
