On Sunday, former Obama aide Dan Pfeiffer observed that Joe Biden noticed a decline in cognitive abilities as of April 2024. However, he mentioned that this didn’t seem to trouble the president, despite his high office.
Axios’ Alex Thompson criticized journalists, including himself, for missing Biden’s decline, especially after the April 26th White House Correspondent’s Dinner, which earned recognition for reporting on this topic. On his podcast, “Pod Save America,” Pfeiffer reflected on attending a White House event during the 2024 WHCD weekend.
“He called me right before the election; we talked for about five to ten minutes. He seemed amazing then. I had interviewed him before that, and he was totally fine—no red flags at all. I talked to quite a few people working on the campaign who shared my impression. But after we got to the White House, it wasn’t until 2024 during the Sunday dinner weekend that we saw him again,” he recounted.
At that reception, Pfeiffer noticed significant deterioration in Biden’s condition. “He was really struggling. I mean, he repeated the same story twice. He had this older demeanor,” he said. “I’d never thought of him as unfit for presidential duties, but I began to seriously doubt his ability to go for another four years.”
Pfeiffer expressed concern over Biden’s capability to manage his reelection campaign. He acknowledged dismissing these signs at the time. “It was a strange Friday night event before the dinner; I thought maybe he was just stressed from preparations,” he mentioned, reflecting on former President Barack Obama’s own communication struggles during similar events.
He placed his trust in those around him who insisted that Biden was fine, but after the release of the Robert Hur Report, which outlined concerns about Biden’s mental lapses, he felt validation for his worries. Hur’s report from February 2024 illustrated Biden’s retention of classified documents but chose not to pursue charges, characterizing Biden as a “well-meaning older man.”
Transcriptions from Biden’s interview revealed lapses in memory, including forgetting the vice president’s name and the date of his son Beau’s passing. Voter concerns regarding Biden’s cognitive fitness have been longstanding, frequently highlighted by Republicans, especially during the 2020 campaign.
Following a troubling debate performance against Donald Trump in July 2024, Kamala Harris stepped in as the Democratic presidential candidate.
