According to the New York Times, White House aides say President Joe Biden, 82, appeared exhausted and frail during his final months in office after years of touting the possibility of running for a second term. He is said to have become moody.

Since withdrawing from the presidential race, and even more so since the 2024 election, Biden has largely disappeared from the national stage. President-elect Donald Trump has dominated headlines as he named Cabinet members and held meetings with world leaders. Biden chief of staff Jeffrey Zaients said the president wanted to “sprint to the finish line” in the coming weeks, but those close to Biden observed that the president was becoming slower and more tired. I am doing it. According to To the New York Times. (Related: With all eyes on Trump, Biden bubble gathers for one last flashy, isolated send-off)

“He looks a little older with each passing day, a little slower. Aides say he remains very sharp in the situation room, helping to broker a ceasefire in Lebanon and disrupt the Syrian uprising.” “But it’s hard to imagine he seriously thought he could stay in the world’s most stressful job for another four years,” the NYT wrote.

During Biden’s visit to the Amazon rainforest in November, people close to the president noticed his increased “vulnerability” during the trip, the NYT reported. According to reports, after the president gave remarks about his visit, he turned away and walked down a dirt path behind the podium, which caused some people in the audience who were not used to seeing him up close to He held his breath and feared the 82-year-old president would stumble. New York Times. Aides told the report that the president’s gait was less erratic than usual.

Shortly after, in December, the president was scheduled to travel to Angola and visit the National Slavery Museum. Two people familiar with the plan told The New York Times that the relics were taken out for the president to see during his visit because there were concerns that he would not be able to climb the building’s steep stairs. It is said that The newspaper reported that the White House said the president did not go inside for logistical reasons and denied that the stairs were difficult during the visit.

U.S. President Joe Biden disembarks from Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, December 5, 2024. President Biden returns from Africa for his historic first visit to Angola as a US president. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

Other people who traveled with the president during these two visits told the NYT that the 82-year-old president had a fairly light schedule, but noted that he tweeted frequently and was difficult to understand. The newspaper reported that during one private meeting, the president began reminiscing about the 1960 debate between former Presidents John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon.

Biden has insisted for months that he would not pardon him, but in the last few weeks he decided to pardon his son Hunter Biden. The move was met with backlash from both sides of the aisle, and the president was angered by Democratic lawmakers who publicly spoke out against the choice, a person who has spent time with the president recently told The New York Times. spoke.

Some people close to Mr. Biden have finally acknowledged his slowdown, while others note that the president is “enthusiastic,” the newspaper reported. (Related: White House morale reportedly in turmoil as Biden toughs out staff on photo shoots)

“He seemed in good spirits,” Elaine Kamarck, a longtime Democratic National Committee member who attended the Special Olympics dinner with the president, told the New York Times. “Surprisingly, he stayed the whole dinner. We all thought he would disappear, but instead he sat down and ate with everyone. and stayed throughout dinner. And he seemed fine.”

The NYT quoted Zients as saying that concerns about the president’s declining health have not slowed down operations at the White House.

In a memo to White House staff obtained by The New York Times, Zaients wrote: “At a time when most expect us to see a slowdown, you are accelerating.” “I know that you and your team are making progress on every issue one step at a time.”