(LifeSiteNews) — Joe Biden attempted to do damage control at a hastily-arranged White House press conference after the Department of Justice (DOJ) published a lengthy investigative report which concluded that Biden is a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory” and “diminished faculties.”
Much to the dismay of D.C. Democrats, Biden’s performance at the conference served only to confirm the report’s findings, opening the door for liberal and conservative pundits alike to question whether Biden is fit to continue as President of the United States.
The DOJ’s damning 388-page report — issued by special counsel Robert Hur on the “investigation into unauthorized removal, retention, and disclosure of classified documents” — found that Biden had willfully mishandled classified documents and had disclosed classified military and national security information, but that because of his diminished mental capacity, no criminal charges would be filed against the 81-year-old.
“In essence, the special counsel presents evidence that Biden should be removed under the 25th amendment,” noted conservative commentator Mark Levin.
The issue of Biden’s national security breaches faded into the background after he stood behind an East Room podium to dispel the report’s assertions about his increasing feeble mindedness. Even far-left national media outlets couldn’t ignore last night’s train wreck at the White House.
Biden angrily proclaimed “I am an elderly man. I know what the hell I’m doing!” during the evening presser, but few if any were buying it.
“This is becoming a five-alarm fire for the White House,” declared a panelist on CNN’s 360 with Anderson Cooper, alarmed at both the DOJ report and Biden’s performance at the press conference. “I don’t think the president did himself any favors in that speech. He undercut two of his biggest messages.”
Stunned CNN Panel Delivers Brutal Review of Biden Press Conference
“I don’t think the president did himself any favors in that speech. He undercut two of his biggest messages.”
“This is becoming a five-alarm fire for the White House.”
“Mexico? Mexico?! Where did that come… pic.twitter.com/poAUwX0v6P
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) February 9, 2024
A U.S. House Democrat called Biden’s verbal slip-ups “awful” and a former Biden White House official said the White House press conference was “brutal,” according to an Axios report.
Former ABC and CNN personality Chris Cuomo asked Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. a question that would’ve been anathema for liberal media up until now: “Do you believe that Joe Biden is fit to be President of the United States?”
Kennedy responded:
I think we’ve reached a time where it’s no longer character assassination to ask legitimate questions about the President’s competency.
There are so many decisions that require nuance, that require complex levels of thinking and that those kinds of issues are coming at you many times a day.
The American people have a right to understand whether their President is capable of making those decisions.
There are entrenched interests and special interests in government that actually benefit from having a president who is not completely competent.
My complaint about what’s happening in the White House is that it’s become the sock puppet for these large industries, the big hedge funds, BlackRock, State Street, and Vanguard, who give equally to the Republican and Democratic Party, and now are just comfortable calling the shots.
I think we’ve reached a time where it’s no longer character assassination to ask legitimate questions about the President’s competency.
There are so many decisions that require nuance, that require complex levels of thinking and that those kind of issues are coming at you many… pic.twitter.com/nCtJkAtZRd
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) February 9, 2024
Conservatives pulled no punches
“This is the most catastrophic presidential press conference I’ve ever seen in my lifetime,” said the Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh.
“Not lucid enough to be charged for a crime but still running for President are not a complementary set of facts,” noted Andrew T. Walker, Ethics & Public Theology Professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
“I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again in a spirit of non-partisan Christian charity and a concern for human dignity: A man in Joe Biden’s condition should not be President nor running for President. It is an indignity to him and the office for him to endure a job he cannot do,” added Walker.
Many were moved to compare and contrast Biden’s press conference performance with that of Russian President Vladimir Putin whose lengthy interview with Tucker Carlson had been published on X earlier in the evening.
“One of these world leaders sat attentive for a 2 hour interview and expertly gave a 30 minute history lesson in detail,” wrote Libs of TikTok. “The other confused his colors and mixed up the Presidents of 2 countries.”
One of these world leaders sat attentive for a 2 hour interview and expertly gave a 30 minute history lesson in detail.
The other confused his colors and mixed up the Presidents of 2 countries.
Absolutely terrifying and embarrassing. pic.twitter.com/Tkai20FNWp
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 9, 2024
“Absolutely terrifying and embarrassing.”
“Tonight as Putin gave intelligent, scholarly answers that delved into a thousand years of Russian history, President Biden was babbling incoherently about how the president of Egypt is actually the president of Mexico,” said Matt Walsh in a subsequent X post.
When former Obama White House political advisor Jim Messina attempted to dismiss the significance of the special counsel’s report, American Principles Project President Terry Schilling called him out:
It’s just all propaganda all the time from these people.
We see the decrepit and senile old man in the White House!
We hear him mumbling and stumbling.
You all are evil idiots destroying a great country.
Let’s be clear–the special counsel isn’t a dummy and we should be very careful not to take the bait after Comey pulled this in 2016. Hur, a lifelong Republican and creature of DC, didn’t have a case against Biden, but he knew exactly how his swipes could hurt Biden politically.
— Jim Messina (@Messina2012) February 8, 2024
NYT: Maybe it’s time to stop pretending that Biden’s age is not an issue
The New York Times journalists offered remarkably honest, measured commentary amid the White House’s very bad day yesterday.
“The decision on Thursday not to file criminal charges against President Biden for mishandling classified documents should have been an unequivocal legal exoneration,” wrote the Times’ Michael D. Shear. “Instead, it was a political disaster.”
“Biden’s age is very clearly the most important non-Trump issue in this election,” said New York Times politics reporter Astead Herndon. “Polling says so. Voters say so.”
“It’s just the WH/DC have had a sorta gentleman’s agreement for the last year to pretend like it’s not. Maybe that ends now,” wondered Herndon.
Biden’s age is very clearly the most impt non-Trump issue in this elec. polling says so. Voters say so. It’s just the WH/DC have had a sorta gentleman’s agreement for the last year to pretend like it’s not. Maybe that ends now https://t.co/W7d6BPK9SW
— Astead (@AsteadWH) February 8, 2024