President Joe Biden relies on cheat sheets to answer questions during private fundraising events with donors, a person familiar with the practice told Axios.
Mr. Biden uses a cheat sheet to ask donors pre-screened questions, while using cards to provide answers, a person familiar with the practice said. Axios. The reliance on cheat sheets has reportedly raised concerns among some donors about the 81-year-old's ability to campaign and debate former President Donald Trump, who is seeking a second term. .
According to Axios, one reason for the card is that Biden's staff wants to make sure the event runs smoothly. But some donors were impressed that Biden reportedly chose to go off script and answer questions on a whim.
“He always spoke on the fly, speaking off the top of his head. It was completely unscripted,” donor Fred D. Hochberg, who attended the New York fundraiser, told Axios. “I asked him about immigration and the border, and he talked about what was going on.”
U.S. President Joe Biden pulls a notecard from his pocket as he speaks in the White House Treaty Room about the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, April 14, 2021, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik Poole/Getty Images)
Axios reports that Biden's fundraising events tend to be private and closed to the press, as reporters are removed from their programs after the president's opening speech.
Presidential advisers told Axios that the president is only given a cheat sheet for very comprehensive and specialized questions, adding that he is often asked unplanned questions.The Biden campaign reportedly dismissed concerns about the president's use of the card.
Concerns about Biden's suitability for the presidency have been raised in the wake of Special Counsel Robert Hur's report detailing the president's handling of classified documents. Hoar made several comments about Biden's failing memory, including when the president began and ended his vice presidency, and during an Oct. 8-9 meeting with the special counsel, his son Beau. He added that he seems to have forgotten when he died. (Related: Biden, who is not special counsel, reportedly brought up son's death first in interview)
Mr. Ha report He also said that if the president appeared before a jury, he would present himself as a “sympathetic, well-meaning old man with a bad memory.”
According to NBC on February 6, 76% of American voters are concerned about Biden's suitability ahead of the 2024 election. poll. The same poll found that 54% of Democrats expressed concern about Biden's suitability as president.
