Biden staffers reveal president's declining cognitive fitness, say 'not the same person’

Some shocking details regarding United States President Joe Biden's cognitive decline have been revealed in a report published by The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday (June 4).

The Journal interviewed nearly 45 Republican and Democratic lawmakers and stafferswho spoke about noticing Biden’s apparent deterioration in cognitive fitness while interacting with the 81-year-old leader in recent months.

The staffers and lawmakers said that the president has been seen speaking so softly in the meetings that it becomes difficult to understand what he is saying.

Meanwhile, others said that the president's grasp of policy details and demeanour differed by the day and he had to rely on notes frequently and sought help from aides during conferences.

“You couldn’t be there and not feel uncomfortable,” said one person, who claimed to have held talks with the president when critical negotiations were going on over providing Ukraine aid in January.

Meanwhile, others who attended the meeting recalled that Biden needed 10 minutes to start the meeting after entering the room and after he did, he had to resort to note cards to make obvious points on which people had already agreed. They added that the participants in the meeting were not able to clearly hear him.

“Much of the conversation didn’t include him,” stated the report, emphasising that the president also asked his staffers to answer some of the questions which were posed directly to him.

Biden's unawareness, rambling, card-help raises questions

When House Speaker and Louisiana Republican Mike Johnson raised his concern over the administration’s liquid natural gas export policy to the president - which he said he feared is benefiting Russia - the president seemed unaware of the policy.

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The policy was in effect, however, Biden claimed that it was "only a study". Johnson was "dismayed" by the exchange, as stated by individuals who were present there.

Biden also “rambled”, mumbled and at times failed to command the roomwhen tense negotiations were going on about increasing the debt ceiling last May, said former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

“He always had cards,” McCarthy added, as he emphasised the US president's dependence on notes.

“He couldn’t negotiate another way. I used to meet with him when he was vice president. I’d go to his house. He’s not the same person,” he said.

McCarthy gave the taskto the lawmakers to bring out the details of the debt ceiling plan from Biden.

He said that the talks with Biden were frustratingly “general",and the president would only express “optimism about working things out".

“He was going back to all the old stuff that had been done for a long time,” said McCarthy, while speaking to The Wall Street Journal.

(With inputs from agencies)