A startling revelation about former President Joe Biden's cognitive state during the 2024 campaign comes from one of his closest advisers, Ron Klain.
According to The Daily Caller, Klain disclosed in Chris Whipple's new book that Biden exhibited concerning behavior during debate preparations, including falling asleep by the pool and struggling to comprehend basic campaign discussions.
The former White House chief of staff's account details multiple instances where Biden appeared disoriented and fatigued during crucial debate preparation sessions. These training sessions, intended to prepare him for his face-off with Donald Trump, had to be cut short due to Biden's inability to maintain focus and energy.
Klain expressed serious doubts about Biden's mental state, noting that he wondered if the then 81-year-old president believed he was leading NATO rather than the United States. The aide's observations revealed a pattern of confusion and exhaustion that severely impacted their preparation efforts.
Their first training session ended prematurely when Biden demonstrated difficulty grasping domestic policy matters. The situation deteriorated further during subsequent sessions, with Biden excusing himself halfway through to rest by the pool, where he ultimately fell asleep.
The preparation team's attempts to discuss campaign strategy met with resistance and confusion from Biden. When Klain suggested running on "unfinished business" and promoting childcare initiatives, Biden's response showed a disconnect from his own policy positions.
Klain shared a particularly telling exchange where Biden's confusion became evident. During one session, the former president suggested that appearing perplexed during Trump's statements would make voters think Trump was incoherent.
According to Klain, Biden's detachment from campaign realities and his own policy positions became increasingly apparent. He describes the president as "startled" and "out of touch" during their meetings at Aspen Lodge. The mounting concerns eventually proved prescient when Biden's debate performance against Trump resulted in widespread criticism and ultimately contributed to his departure from the presidential race.
Despite initially defending Biden's debate performance in subsequent months, Klain's recent revelations paint a different picture. In August, he attempted to separate Biden's poor debate showing from questions about his overall competence.
Klain told CNN:
I don't deny that it was a bad debate performance, that's different than whether or not the president is up to the job. He's clearly up to the job. He's doing it every day. He's doing it successfully.
Speaking to the New York Post after The Guardian published the story, Klain maintained that Biden's issues stemmed from an excessive focus on foreign policy rather than cognitive decline.
The troubling revelations from Klain's account marked a significant turning point in Biden's political career. His debate performance against Trump in Atlanta proved disastrous, leading to unprecedented concerns about his fitness for office among media outlets and fellow Democrats.
The former president's struggle with basic campaign preparation and inability to maintain focus during crucial training sessions ultimately contributed to his party forcing him to withdraw from the presidential race. These events, combined with Klain's detailed account, provide valuable insight into the final months of Biden's political career and the circumstances that led to his departure from the race.
