Major media outlets rushed to explain President Joe Biden's performance and hoarse voice during the debate by saying he had a cold.
Biden appeared visibly hoarse and trailed off during Thursday night's debate with former President Donald Trump, two of his aides said. Said According to NBC News, his illness was blamed on a cold.
The president's team made no mention of the president's cold before the debate. according to To Politico.
What's new: “President Biden has a cold,” two sources familiar with the situation say.
— Kelly O'Donnell (@KellyO) June 28, 2024
A source familiar with the presidential debate preparations confirmed that the president, who is notoriously hoarse-voiced, had been battling a cold in recent days.
— Nancy Cordes (@nancycordes) June 28, 2024
The outlet blamed the 81-year-old president's “slow start” on illness, and was quick to suggest he'd improved by speaking “stronger and clearer” toward the midpoint. The president's performance reflected voters' pessimistic views about the age and mental capacity needed to serve a second term.
President Trump has asked Biden to submit to a drug test before the debate to ensure he is not taking performance-enhancing drugs, and Biden reportedly spent a week rehearsing while on vacation at Camp David.
A Wall Street Journal op-ed detailed how the aging president's declining memory has left him unable to communicate properly with world leaders and political allies. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was quoted in the article as saying that in his meetings with the president, he spoke in a “disjointed manner” and relied heavily on notes. (Related article: Biden lies about no soldiers being killed under his command)
According to a WSJ column, House Speaker Mike Johnson, who met with Biden on February 27 about military aid to Ukraine, was surprised that the president had allegedly forgotten details of his policy. White House press secretary Andrew Bates called Johnson's claim a “false statement.”
Special counsel Robert Hur described Biden as “a well-intentioned old man with a fragile memory” in a report following an investigation into whether Biden should have been charged with mishandling classified documents. The report ran counter to voters' perceptions of the president's mental capacity, with an ABC News poll finding that 86% of pollsters believe Biden is “too old” ahead of the 2024 election.
A series of polls have found that voters are concerned about Biden's age and mental ability to serve a second term. CBS News/YouGov vote Twenty-six percent believe Biden has the “mental and cognitive health” to serve a second term, while 43% said the same about former President Donald Trump. vote The poll found that 36% of registered voters believe Biden is “mentally qualified for the job,” while 49% feel the same about Trump.
Concerns about the president's age date back to early in his term, when a New York Times/Siena College poll found that 64% of Democrats would support a different candidate for president in 2024.
