White House aides reportedly confirmed that President Joe Biden is exhibiting a common symptom of dementia, according to Axios.
When Biden and former President Donald Trump met on the debate stage, the current president became the focus of the Thursday forum as he looked confused, appeared to freeze up and stumble through answers. Amid the calls for the 81-year-old to drop out of the race, the Biden campaign and the president have worked to dispel concerns and downplay the performance as a rough night. Despite the damage control, sources told Axios that the president is “dependably engaged” between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. but is susceptible to “verbal miscues” and fatigue outside that time frame. (RELATED: Panicked Dems Scramble For Biden Replacement After ‘Disaster’ Debate Performance)
Throughout Biden’s presidency, aides have seen “flashes of an absent-minded Biden” but have typically ignored the instances because the president is normally engaged, eight current and former Biden officials told Axios. The time of day plays an important role during which Biden is on display throughout his duties as president, the outlet noted.
As concerns for Biden’s fitness for office have grown, the president’s memory has been called into question as he gaffes, confuses world leaders and blanks on facts. (RELATED: White House Officially Claims Biden Has Made 148 Mistakes During 2024 Public Remarks)
The behavior the Biden aides described can be compared to a symptom of dementia called “sundowning.” The term “sundowning” references “a state of confusion” that affects elders, particularly those with Alzheimer’s disease or types of dementia, during the evening or as the sun is beginning to set, according to the Mayo Clinic. More extreme cases of “sundowning” result in anxiety, aggression, pacing, wandering and even hallucinations and trouble sleeping, the Mayo Clinic states.
US President Joe Biden and former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump participate in the first presidential debate of the 2024 elections at CNN’s studios in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 27, 2024. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
Despite concerns about Biden’s age, the White House doctor determined in February that Biden was fit for office after conducting a physical examination. Kevin O’Connor, the White House physician, concluded in a report that Biden was an “active” 81-year-old and able to execute his duties as president.
“[There] is one Joe Biden, who works his heart out fighting for families like the one he grew up in in Scranton, and who, because of his determination, experience and decency, keeps achieving unprecedented results for them,” White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates told Axios on the report that the president acts differently at various times throughout the day.
Joe Scarborough Defended Biden’s Mental Fitness Just Days Ago. Now, He Thinks He ‘May Not Be Up To’ Job pic.twitter.com/8IyPTh9ee7
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) June 28, 2024
Finger pointing began following Biden’s debate performance, as White House aides claimed the president wasn’t properly prepared, Axios reported. The president spent nearly a week out of the public eye at Camp David where a mock stage was set up and he ran through practice debates.
“He was over-prepared and relying on minutiae when all that mattered was vigor and energy,” one person in Biden’s orbit told Axios. “They prepared him for the wrong debate. He was over-prepared when what he needed was rest. It’s confounding.”
“It’s sad but it also makes me so mad to think of all the smart people lying and trying to make this work,” a former White House official told Axios.
