President Joe Biden's trip to Normandy, France, last week to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day sparked widespread concern about his physical and mental well-being.
The 81-year-old president repeatedly seemed confused, disoriented, and unaware of his surroundings. Observers on X, formerly known as Twitter, raised alarm about the president's condition.
When Biden arrived at Omaha Beach, the Republican National Committee said he appeared in a “perpetual state of confusion.” Zuby, a British musician with 1.2 million followers, said, “I don't make fun of Joe Biden as much as I should because he genuinely has dementia, and keeping him as president is a form of elderly abuse.”
Collin Rugg, a media personality and co-owner of Trending Politics, noted to his 1.1 million X followers, “There is no way Democrats let this man run against Trump in the 2024 election.”
In another instance, Biden was heard deferring to his handlers while talking with French President Emanuel Macron. “My advance team said I gotta be the first to leave,” said Biden, who is routinely shuffled around by his aides and advisers, reinforcing the widely held perception that he is not in control.
As Biden greeted world leaders, we saw that deference to handlers in action. As Tim Young, a conservative podcaster, told his more than 970,000 followers on X, “The handlers have more power than the President.”
Critics called attention to the danger of the president appearing frail amid wars in Eastern Europe and the Middle East — because Americans aren't the only ones who notice the senility; our adversaries do too.
Biden's mental and physical struggles in Normandy come after an alarming Wall Street Journal report highlighting the concern of many members of Congress, both Republican and Democrat, for the 81-year-old president. Biden, the oldest person ever to occupy the White House, faced criticism not only from Republicans but also from many in his own party. According to the Journal's report, the White House “kept close tabs” on the Democrat lawmakers who spoke to the paper about the president's mental acuity.
The administration urged Democrat lawmakers who raised concerns about the commander-in-chief's cognitive clarity to double back to the Journal and emphasize Biden's strengths. The report quoted Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., as saying, “They [the White House] just, you know, said that I should give you a callback.”
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