Joe Biden has forgotten the names of various lawmakers, foreign officials, and even long-time aides during his tenure, particularly noted in light of the upcoming 2024 Lancet report, which highlights him as the oldest president in history.
The signs of his mental decline were evident as early as the 2020 campaign, but according to journalists Alex Thompson and Jake Tupper in their upcoming book, “The Original Singh,” this decline appears to have escalated during his presidency.
In December 2022, Biden couldn’t remember his former top national security aide, nor his communications director from his vice presidency.
After the announcement of the US securing the release of WNBA star Britney Griner from a Russian prison, he mistakenly called his national security adviser Jake Sullivan “Steve.” He continued to call for Sullivan, referring to his previous spokeswoman, Kate Beddingfield, simply as “press.”
Sullivan had worked with Biden since 2013, while Beddingfield joined in 2015. Interestingly, Biden also struggled to recall the name of Griner’s wife during a White House address.
“It has been a tough few months for Brittney, Charlie, her whole family, and all her teammates,” he commented.
In another instance, Biden confused the late Senator Jackie Walorski, who tragically died in a car accident, referring to her as if she were still alive a month after the incident.
During a speech addressing bipartisan officials, he said, “I want to thank you all here, including representatives like Jim McGovern, Senator Mike Brown, Senator Cory Booker, Jackie… Where is Jackie? I think she’ll be here.”
Former Commerce Secretary Bill Daley noted some of Biden’s slips on television and began looking into potential alternative candidates for the Democrats. At a recent event, Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison found Biden waving his hands yet not recognizing him.
Following Biden’s lackluster debate performance against Donald Trump in June 2024, adviser Mike Donilon reassured concerned Democrats by stating, “I promise he’s fine.”
These memory lapses have only grown more frequent; for instance, Biden confused French President Emmanuel Macron with leaders from Mexico and Egypt at a press conference. This confusion came after a special adviser announced that Biden wouldn’t be charged regarding documents retained after his vice presidency.
In response to queries about his competence, Biden stated emphatically during a White House press conference, “I’m well-meaning, I’m an older man, and I know what the hell I’m doing.”
Those close to him, like Donilon—who has advised Biden since 1981—didn’t discuss the possibility of him running for reelection, despite witnessing his memory issues firsthand.
Biden had previously forgotten Donilon’s name during his 2019 campaign, an incident that Thompson and Tupper described as the only time they felt genuinely concerned about his mental state during the primaries.
At one point, Biden reached out to an advisor he had known for over 40 years, seemingly lost in thought.
After that debate in June 2024, Donilon was again trying to reassure worried party members, insisting, “He promised he was fine.”
