Top Senate Republican Says Biden Is Mentally Slipping 'On A Daily Basis'

On Wednesday, Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD) said that President Joe Biden's mental capacity is slipping "on a daily basis" as the 81-year-old Democrat runs for a second term in the White House. The comment comes after a report from The Wall Street Journal showed that Biden has had repeated mental lapses with lawmakers during private meetings.

"I don't disagree. Obviously, you all see it on a daily basis… It's an issue," Thune said, adding that there is a "clear difference" between Biden and 77-year-old Donald Trump. "I make plenty of my own [gaffes], so I'm sympathetic to that, but I think that there is no question. You can just kind of look at the tape."

According to multiple sources familiar with the president's private meetings, Biden's mental decline is becoming more apparent by the day. During a January meeting with lawmakers to discuss Ukraine funding, the president allegedly spoke so softly that those in attendance struggled to hear him. The elderly president also read obvious points from note cards and was seen closing his eyes for extended periods of time.

In another meeting in February with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), President Biden said that a recent policy change related to major energy projects was just a study. Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has also criticized the president for the stark difference in his mental capacity from his time as vice president. "I used to meet with him when he was vice president. I'd go to his house," McCarthy said in an interview with The Journal. "He's not the same person."

While most of those interviewed by the Journal were Republicans, some Democrats also criticized the president's slowing mental faculties. That, however, didn't stop the White House from arguing that claims of Biden's cognitive decline were just partisan attacks rather than actual criticism.

"Congressional Republicans, foreign leaders, and nonpartisan national-security experts have made clear in their own words that President Biden is a savvy and effective leader who has a deep record of legislative accomplishment," said White House spokesman Andrew Bates. "Now, in 2024, House Republicans are making false claims as a political tactic that flatly contradict previous statements made by themselves and their colleagues." 

Democrats in Congress also came to the president's aid by explaining that they were interviewed by the Journal but not quoted in the story. "Surprise, surprise—everyone attacking [President Biden] is a Republican with an agenda," Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) wrote. "I made clear to the [Wall Street Journal] regarding the January meeting on Ukraine that the president was absolutely engaged & ran that meeting in a way that brought everyone together. I'm not quoted—I wonder why."

While Democrats attempt to do damage control, the American people can see the burdensome impact of the presidency on the elderly Biden. The president is seeking another four years in office, which would make him 86 by the time he leaves the White House in 2029. Voters know that Biden's mental lapses will only get worse as he continues to age, and his reelection in November could have dangerous consequences.

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