Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy revealed for the first time Wednesday that President Biden uses notecards in small, private meetings.
“When we meet behind closed doors, he still has a teleprompter with him,” McCarthy told the FOX Business “Bottom Line” co-hosts. “But the teleprompter is a card. When I met him, I found out that it would only be a few people. He read the card.”
McCarthy said it was difficult to “deviate” from Biden during private negotiations, citing his meeting with the president about the debt ceiling.
“He’s just sticking to his cards,” he said of Biden. “And if you leave, if you deviate from the cards, he can’t move on there.
“Look, whether you like it or not, he has served his country. I respect the man who serves his country. I appreciate his accomplishments, but he “He’s not the best age to serve as president, and especially not to be in a position to advance what I’ve been overseeing to become president again.”
McCarthy also said he has known Biden for a long time and that the president is no longer “the same person” he once was.
McCarthy’s comments came after media reported that Biden relied heavily on paper currency even in his personal fundraising efforts with donors.
Biden tends to consult notecards after addressing pre-selected donors with questions at private events. Axios reported on Friday.
The article notes that “Biden’s reliance on notecards to explain his policy positions, questions he knows are coming, has raised concerns among some donors about his age.” “It’s causing this,” he said.
At 81, Biden is already the oldest president in U.S. history, and earlier this month, special counsel Robert Hur’s report into Biden’s handling of classified materials described the president as a “sympathetic and well-meaning elderly man. ”, the White House was shaken. People who have poor memory and are unable to remember the timing of important events in their lives.
In response, President Biden’s White House press secretary, Andrew Bates, said Thursday: “Perhaps Chairman McCarthy should write down the next report on his card so he never forgets it again. ” and linked to an article that cited McCarthy’s use of notes during the meeting.by Left-wing website HuffPost.
The White House also pointed to articles reporting that McCarthy had made past comments about Biden’s mental health, including a Politico report in which McCarthy privately said Biden was alert during a meeting. It also included reports from the New York Times.
He also told Punchbowl News that Biden was “very professional, very smart” and “very tough” during budget negotiations.
Fox News’ David Rutz and Patrick Ward contributed to this report.
