Journalist Carl Bernstein called Biden’s performance at last week’s debate between former President Trump and Biden a “horror show,” and sources close to the president say what happened wasn’t a one-off issue.
Bernstein says He said he has spoken to multiple sources close to Biden, people who love him, support him and have raised money for his reelection, and they are “adamant that the Joe Biden we saw the other night is not a one-off.”
“There have been 15 to 20 occasions over the last year and a half where the president has made appearances similar to the horror show that we just witnessed,” Bernstein told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Monday night, “and the question is, who is making these statements and how many people around the president are aware of these events?”
Biden’s lackluster and unfocused performance during last Thursday’s debate sparked concern among Democrats about whether he could beat Trump. He lost his train of thought and spoke weakly during the debate, sparking panic among Democrats and leading some to call for the president to step aside and give someone else a chance to take on Trump.
Biden tried to ease concerns in an energetic speech in North Carolina the following day, and delivered a brief address on Monday night reacting to the Supreme Court’s stunning ruling on presidential immunity.
His campaign spent much of the weekend trying to dispel concerns and pointing to his recent appearances as evidence he’s fit for the job.
Bernstein argues that while Biden is able to cope with some things, those closest to him say he has “seen a noticeable decline not just in physical ability but in cognitive ability,” particularly over the past six months.
The longtime journalist and CNN analyst said he’d heard “numerous instances” of Biden losing his train of thought and “not being able to get it back” and that he had appeared stiff in public appearances in 2022, “almost like rigor mortis.”
“I think what people are saying, and have been saying for a while, is that he’s been great as we’ve seen him tonight, but he’s also had some puzzling moments that we’re very concerned about,” he said.
Bernstein argued that Biden’s presence onstage last week showed that “we’re clearly dealing with two sets of one person, and that we really need to look into that.”
