Biden's cabinet members have praised the president for his “highly effective” leadership and believe he remains fit for the job after he handed over Cabinet reins to his wife, Jill Biden, a few days ago.
Among the 10 Cabinet members who sent a statement to Fox News Digital, there was broad consensus about confidence in Biden's leadership and ability to continue in office.
“President Biden continues to be a very effective president and he's focused on delivering results, including record job creation, massive infrastructure development and expanding domestic manufacturing, which he's demonstrated every time we talk,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told Fox News Digital.
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President Biden last held a Cabinet meeting in October 2023. (AP/Manuel Balce Senator)
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo went further, calling Biden “one of the greatest presidents in American history who continues to lead our country with a steady and effective hand.”
“As someone who sits in on the president's meetings with his cabinet and foreign leaders, I can say he's an astute and exceptional leader,” Raimondo said.
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, one of Biden's most vocal defenders, said Biden has “done more for this country as president than any president I've worked with since 1992.”
“Yes, not only can he do the job, he has,” he said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “And we are fortunate to have someone who will continue to use all of his experience to move us forward. Think back to where we were four years ago: the severity of the pandemic, Americans losing their jobs and losing their health insurance. Today, more Americans are employed than ever before. Today, more Americans have health insurance than ever before. No president in the history of our country has administered 700 million vaccine doses to keep Americans alive and healthy. The result? Our economy is healthy.”
“Is he healthy? He's proven that,” Becerra added.
Biden's apparent mental decline first came to light over the summer after his poor performance in a debate with former President Trump. Less than a month after the June debate, Biden came under pressure from Democratic supporters to drop out of the race and allow Vice President Kamala Harris to run as the party's nominee.
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Biden's cabinet members rushed to his defence. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“Throughout President Biden's term in office, the American people have benefited from his leadership and experience, and he led a productive Cabinet meeting on Friday that clearly outlined expectations for the coming months,” Acting Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Adrienne Todman told Fox News Digital.
“President Biden has tasked us with not only continuing to fund the historic levels of funding he secured, but also ensuring that that funding is used to help the American people. I look forward to continuing to work with him and his entire administration to expand affordable housing for all,” she said.
Biden The Cabinet was convened President Trump will appear at the White House Office on Friday for the first time since Oct. 2, 2023, this time with the first lady in attendance to speak about the White House's efforts on women's health research.
Regarding Jill Biden's attendance, the president said, “Here and in previous administrations, first ladies have attended these meetings for specific reasons. This is the first time that Jill will be participating, and it shows how important the issues she's going to talk about are.”
New York Post Jill Biden, who was sitting at the head of the executive table in the Cabinet Office, “read for four and a half minutes from a binder on maternal and child health initiatives after her husband spoke for just two minutes at the beginning of the meeting,” the report said.
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US First Lady Jill Biden attended and spoke at the first cabinet meeting of her husband, President Joe Biden's administration, at the White House in Washington, DC, on September 20, 2024. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The president traditionally sits at the center of the table, with cabinet members seated in the order of their departments' establishments. Hillary Clinton appears to be the last sitting first lady to attend a meeting of her husband's cabinet.
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The amount of The First Lady's influence on Joe Biden Her, and therefore his, criticism of the administration has frequently been controversial, with many commentators criticising her attendance at the conference on social media.
The New York Post reported that Jill Biden “is considered by insiders to be the most influential first lady since Edith Wilson, who severely limited contact with her husband, President Woodrow Wilson, after he suffered a severe stroke in October 1919.”
Fox News Digital's Alexander Hall and Greg Norman contributed to this report.
