During the first 2024 presidential debate, many Americans, even traditional Democratic allies, questioned Biden’s mental fitness based on his seemingly unclear thinking at times and the raspy voice heard Thursday night.
The White House responded to those concerns by claiming the 81-year-old president had a cold, but some doctors said they believed his health issues went beyond a runny nose.
Dr. Brett Osborne, a Florida neurosurgeon who specializes in cognitive function, spoke to Fox News Digital on Friday about his concerns.
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“President Biden’s [Thursday] “Tonight’s debate reignited long-standing debates about his cognitive abilities and overall leadership capabilities,” Osborne told Fox News Digital.
“Throughout the evening, Biden struggled to maintain a coherent speech, often lost his train of thought mid-sentence and provided vague, incoherent and indecipherable answers to highly critical questions,” Osborne said in her professional opinion.
Joe Biden attended a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Friday, June 28, the day after the debate. Dr. Marc Siegel (inset, left) and Dr. Brett Osborne (inset, right) weighed in on President Biden’s performance during Thursday night’s presidential debate and shared concerns about his health from their respective perspectives. (Fox News, Getty Images, Dr. Brett Osborne)
“His frequent stammering and reliance on notes highlighted concerns about his intellectual capacity,” Osborne added.
“Biden struggled to maintain a coherent speech and often lost his train of thought mid-sentence.”
Neurosurgeons say these signs of cognitive decline highlight a “diminished capacity” to manage the complex tasks demanded by the presidency.
“His difficulty in producing clear, concise responses and his obvious confusion during the debate were viewed by many, including his own constituents, as very worrying indications of a clear decline in his overall health and cognitive function,” Osborne said.
Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden during the first presidential debate of the 2024 election at CNN Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, Thursday, June 27, 2024. (Javin Botsford/The Washington Post)
“President Biden lacks the mental acuity necessary to hold the nation’s highest office… esp. [today’s] the current national and international crisis.”
The neurosurgeon, who has not personally treated Biden, also noted that the 47th president has had multiple surgeries for brain aneurysms.
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There’s a famous saying in neurosurgery, Osborn noted: “When air hits your brain, you’re never the same person again.”
The surgeon surmised that “the odds had been stacked against him for years, long before he took office.”
Joe Biden reacts to the cheers of supporters during a debate viewing party at the Hyatt Regency on June 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Derek White/Getty Images for DNC)
Dr. Mark Siegel, MD, Professor of Clinical Medicine NYU Langone Medical Center The Fox News health correspondent also spoke to Fox News Digital about his concerns.
“This debate is, in some ways, a psychiatric or cognitive stress test,” he told Fox News Digital.
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Dr Siegel said Biden was able to answer questions and appeared to have spatial awareness, but the president exhibited “frequent symptoms of disorientation” and “had problems with initiative and redirection.”
He has never personally investigated Biden.
Dr. Mark Siegel, right, appeared on “Fox & Friends” on Friday, June 28, to discuss Thursday night’s presidential debate. (Kevin D. Lyles for The Washington Post, Fox News via Getty Images)
Siegel called Biden’s speech “disjointed,” noting that he ended sentences in different places than intended and “frequently confused ‘trillion’ with ‘billion’ and ‘million’.”
Siegel acknowledged that physical illnesses such as the common cold can also cause “even more” cognitive problems.
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“Still, I find it hard to believe this is all because of a cold,” Siegel told Fox News Digital. “In any case, you need people who are quick-witted even when they have a cold.”
Doctors at NYU Langone noted that cognitive problems “wax and wane” and don’t always manifest in the same way.
President Joe Biden looks over former President Donald Trump during the first presidential debate of the 2024 election season on June 27, 2024. (Andrew Caballero Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
While there have been concerns about the age of both candidates, Siegel countered that what matters is the president’s physical and mental health.
“This isn’t about age, this is about strength,” he said. “This is about mental strength, and that’s especially important in times of crisis.”
Biden is 81 years old (turning 82 in November), while Trump is 78.
During an appearance on “Fox & Friends” on Friday morning, Siegel also discussed the possibility that cold medication could affect Biden’s performance.
“This isn’t about age. This is about physical fitness. This is about mental acuity.”
“Any medicine you take for a cold would be irrelevant here, except for the ones that make you sleepy,” he said.
“And I don’t think they’re going to give him anything that’s going to make him sleepy before the debate,” he said.
He added: “We’ve been seeing this for a long time. This is a progressive thing.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Biden campaign and the White House press office for comment.
Concerns about Biden’s age and memory emerged after the release of the special counsel’s report earlier this year. (AP Photo/Damien Dvarganes)
Concerns about Biden’s age and memory were raised earlier this year following the release of the special counsel’s report, which said the Democrat’s memory was “vague,” “unclear,” “incomplete,” “poor” and “significantly limited,” The Associated Press reported at the time.
According to the report, Biden was unable to remember some key events in his life, including the day his son Beau died of brain cancer, Fox News Digital reported at the time. (Beau Biden died on May 30, 2015.)
“My recollection is fine,” Biden responded afterward at the White House.
“People who have serious problems with their memory or judgment often don’t realize they have them until late.”
The New York Times editorial board and other sources called on Biden to drop out of the race following his performance in the debate.
Vice President Kamala Harris acknowledged that Biden got off to a “slow start” in the debate but defended his overall performance and record during his time in the White House.
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Dr. Siegel New York Post “This is not about age: Cognitive abilities change so much with age that it’s not fair to say that executive function will automatically decline at some point in life. But it is a sad medical fact that people with developing problems with memory or judgment often only realize it too late,” an opinion piece published in the paper on Saturday morning said.
