How Joe Biden’s re-election hopes ‘hinge on the debate’ with Donald Trump after bombshell report into the 81-year-old struggling in meetings and in ‘obvious’ cognitive decline
President Joe Biden‘s chances of winning in November could now depend on how he does in his debate with Donald Trump after a bomb report about lawmakers questioning his mental decline, a longtime Democratic strategist theorized.
Former Clinton adviser Mark Penn addressed the Wall Street Journal report Wednesday that named 45 Republicans Democrats who say that 81-year-old Biden is mentally in decline.
But he told it Fox news that the article reiterated what people already know: Biden’s age and cognitive state are “obviously an issue” before the November election.
Trump, 77, and Biden will face off in their first general election debate of 2024 on June 27 in Atlanta, Georgia, hosted by CNN.
It will be the first time since 2020 that Americans will see the two face off and will likely showcase not only the contrast in policy but also in the mental acuity of the two choices for next year’s presidency.
And it comes amid growing concerns about Biden’s age.
President Joe Biden’s allies are reeling from a bombastic report that cited 45 Republican and Democratic lawmakers questioning his mental health and cognitive decline since he became president in 2021
Penn, who advised Bill Clinton and was chief strategist and pollster for Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign, has become a defender of Trump in recent years.
He said polls clearly show that more than half of Americans who plan to vote in 2024 are concerned that Biden is too old to run for office again. If he wins again, Biden would be 86 at the end of a second term and break his own record as the oldest person elected US president.
“It was a bit of a strange story in the Wall Street Journal because it essentially synthesized what voters know,” Penn told Fox News on Wednesday. “More than 60 percent of voters are concerned that Biden is too old to run for another term, and I don’t think these whispers will resolve this issue.”
“I think there will be a debate, they have deliberately thrown down the gauntlet for an early debate and I think that will be the point where the Americans will judge: is he ready for another term or not,” the strategist added .
The Journal article indicates that Biden is “slipping” in mental acuity, according to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
And with just five months until the 2024 election, Biden can’t afford to see any more supporters flee.
Former Clinton adviser Mark Penn (pictured) said the report reiterates what American voters have been saying for months – claiming his chances for re-election depend on his debate with Donald Trump.
Donald Trump, 77, and Joe Biden, 81, will face off in their first general election debate of 2024 on June 27 in Atlanta, Georgia, hosted by CNN
But the report paints a picture of a president significantly slower than he was days ago, with the White House fiercely insisting the 81-year-old is still a top leader.
The dozens who spoke to WSJ described Biden as so soft-spoken that they sometimes struggle to understand what he is saying.
Others pointed to the commander-in-chief’s declining grasp of key policy details and increasing reliance on notes and improvised offers from aides.
Several people said Biden’s behavior varies day by day.
