KEY POINTS
- In-person interactions were reportedly minimized and Biden's schedule was adjusted when he seemed tired
- Meetings with some cabinet members reportedly became infrequent as the years went on
- A vocal coach was reportedly tapped to help improve the president's faint vocal tone
Aides for outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden scrambled to hide the truth about his diminished mental state since he entered the White House early in 2021, a new report revealed Thursday.
The Biden administration repeatedly denied that the president was in decline, and the news comes after months of concern over the public's lack of access to the country's oldest president.
Soon after taking office in January 2021, presidential staff had to shield Biden from the world's prying eyes, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing Democratic lawmakers, donors, and aides who worked for the outgoing president.
Aides reportedly minimized Biden's in-person interactions and made adjustments to his daily schedule whenever he appeared tired or suffered mishaps during public appearances.
There were "good days and bad days," the report claimed, and aides had to reschedule Biden's plans to accommodate the said days by the spring of 2021. "Today was a bad day so we're going to address this tomorrow," a national security official reportedly told an aide at the time.
Meetings with even some of the president's cabinet members, such as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, reportedly became infrequent.
There were also instances wherein White House staffers had to block negative reports from the president's daily news wire, misleading him about the American public's views and sentiments about his performance, the report added.
The extent to which the White House moved to keep his mental state hidden from the public's eyes was never revealed until now.
One of the biggest bombshells from the report was the supposed hiring of a vocal coach to at improve the president's faint tone when he speaks.
Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates refuted some of the details in the report, reiterating that Biden, who turned 82 last month, spoke with cabinet members on a daily basis. He also defended the president's work setup.
"President Biden leads a modern administration. Cabinet meetings are an important tradition, but the contemporary work environment means they can be fewer and far between," Bates explained.
Some X users accused the administration, the Democratic Party and the media of "covering up" for the exiting president.
Former campaign advisor for incoming President Donald Trump, Steve Cortes, said the case of the Biden White House was "one of the greatest scandals of the 21st century," considering how "unelected White House staffers" were the ones "running the most powerful country in the world."
Biden became the oldest president of the United States in 2021 at 78 years of age. Trump will enter the White House on Jan. 20, 2025, at the same age.
