A new book has disclosed that former President Joe Biden’s team opted not to pursue a cognitive test for him in February 2024.
Journalists Tyler Paiger of the New York Times, Josh Dorsey from the Wall Street Journal, and Isaac Earnsdorf of the Washington Post authored a book titled “2024: Trump Takes the White House and Democrats Lost America.”
This work, among several discussing the chaotic 2024 election, includes insights from Biden’s senior aides who considered administering cognitive tests to address worries regarding his age.
Reportedly, the aides believed Biden would perform well on the test.
“Biden’s long-time physician, Kevin O’Connor, informed aides he wouldn’t factor in the political implications when treating the 81-year-old president,” the Times cited from the book.
Discussions about the test took place in February 2024, which was quite some time before Biden’s debate with Donald Trump scheduled for June, as well as a physical exam that Biden would undergo in the coming weeks.
Interestingly, a report surfaced during that same month about misconceptions regarding documents previously tied to Robert Herr’s presidency.
A special advisor characterized Biden as “an older man with good intentions but struggling with memory issues.”
The Times also highlighted discussions in the new book between Ron Crane, Biden’s Chief of Staff, and David Axelrod, a former Obama advisor and frequent CNN contributor.
During these conversations, Crane voiced frustration towards Axelrod, particularly in response to a Times piece from June 2022 which suggested that Axelrod viewed Biden’s age unfavorably, saying he “is closer to 90 than 80 at the end of the second term.”
According to the book, Crane’s reproof implied that if Obama wasn’t present to support the president’s re-election effort, then who would be?
Furthermore, another book discussing the 2024 campaign revealed that Crane acknowledged Biden was “fatigued, confused, and released” just prior to a heated exchange with Trump in June. Crane had aided Biden in preparing for the debate after leaving his White House post.
In an anecdote, author Chris Whipple recounted a first meeting with Biden at Aspen Lodge, casting a more personal touch to the narrative.
Whipple’s book, “Uncharted: Trump Trump Beat Biden, Harris, The Owss in the Wildest Campaign,” was published in April.
As of now, Biden’s representatives have yet to comment on these revelations.
