The spotlight was on President Biden’s failing mental faculties Thursday night following Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report on the classified documents in his garage. The report declined to indict the President partially because investigators thought Biden’s failing memory would give a jury pause. And in a press conference to address the report, Biden lashed out at the special counsel and journalists like Fox News’s Peter Doocy and made multiple mental fumbles that only added evidence to the argument.
Instead of calling on pre-selected members of the White House press pool picked out by his staff, as usual, Biden opened the floor to questions after his remarks. The first journalist to jump in, without challenge, was Doocy.
Doocy wasted no time in grilling Biden on what the special counsel said about his poor memory and got an angry response for the effort:
DOOCY: President Biden, something special counsel said in his report is that one of the reasons you were not charged is because, in his description, “you are a well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
BIDEN: I'm well-meaning and I'm an elderly man and I know what the hell I'm doing. I've been president and I put this country back on its feet. I don't need his recommendation. It’s totally--
DOUCY: How bad is your memory? And can you continue as president?
BIDEN: My memory is so bad I let you speak!
Surprisingly, ABC’s MaryAlice Park followed up with this fastball: “Do you feel your memory has gotten worse, Mr. President?”
“My memory has not gotten – My memory is fine. My memory – Take a look at what I've done since I’ve become president. None of you thought could I pass any of the things I got passed. How did that happen? You know, I guess I just forgot what was going on,” Biden rambled.
The Washington Post’s Tyler Pager kept the questions about Biden’s memory flowing, much to Biden’s chagrin:
PAGER: Mr. President, the voters have concerns about your age. How are you going to assuage them and do you fear this report only going to fuel further concern about you?
BIDEN: Only by some of you.
CNN’s MJ Lee was the one to receive Biden’s full anger about the subject. After daring to mention that his mental acuity was a major concern for Americans, the president shouted at her:
LEE: Mr. President, for months when you were asked about your age, would you respond with the words, “Watch me.” Many American people have been watching and they have expressed concerns about your age.
BIDEN [interrupting]: That is your judgment! That is your judgment! That is not the judgment of the press!
“They express concerns about your mental acuity. They say you are too old,” she pushed back. “Mr. President, in December you told me that you believed there are many other Democrats who could defeat Donald Trump. So why does it have to be you now? What is your answer to that question?”
Biden snapped: “Because I'm the most qualified person in this country to be president of the United States and finish the job I started.”
During his address, where Biden claimed his mental faculties were fine, he appeared to claim Mexico shared a border with Israel.
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) February 9, 2024
He says he spoke with the president of Mexico to open the gates to let humanitarian aid in. pic.twitter.com/YGY3DlX29E
The president didn’t do himself any favors during the presser. At one point he claimed President El-Sisi was the leader of Mexico. He’s the president of Egypt:
I'm of the view, as you know, that the conduct of the response [long pause] in Gaza, in the Gaza Strip has been, um, over the top. I think that [long pause], as you know, initially, the president of Mexico, El-Sisi did not want to open up the gate to allow humanitarian material to get in. I talked to him. I convinced him to open the gate. I talked to Bibi to open the gate on the Israeli side. I've been pushing really hard. Really hard to get humanitarian assistance into Gaza.
Biden also lashed out at Hur for including how he forgot when his son Beau passed away:
In addition, I know there's some attention paid to some language in the report about my recollection of events. There's even reference that I don't remember when my son died. How in the hell dare he raise that? Frankly, when I was asked the question, I thought to myself, “It wasn't any of their damn business.”
But at no point did the President put the suggestion to rest by simply stating the date of Beau’s passing.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360
February 8, 2024
8:01:26 p.m. Eastern(…)
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: In addition, I know there's some attention paid to some language in the report about my recollection of events. There's even reference that I don't remember when my son died. How in the hell dare he raise that? Frankly, when I was asked the question, I thought to myself, “It wasn't any of their damn business.”
Let me tell you something. Some of you have commented, I'm aware since the day he died, I wear every day the rosary he got from our lady of – [trails off]. Every Memorial Day we hold a service remembering him attended by friends and family and the people who loved him. I don't need anyone, I don't need anyone to remind me when he passed away. When he passed away.
(…)
8:02:53 p.m. Eastern
BIDEN: Thank you, and I’ll take some questions.
PETER DOOCY: President Biden, something special counsel said in his report is that one of the reasons you were not charged is because, in his description, “you are a well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
BIDEN: I'm well-meaning and I'm an elderly man and I know what the hell I'm doing. I've been president and I put this country back on its feet. I don't need his recommendation. It’s totally--
DOUCY: How bad is your memory? And can you continue as president?
BIDEN: My memory is so bad I let you speak! That's --
MARYALICE PARKS: Do you feel your memory has gotten worse, Mr. President?
BIDEN: My memory has not gotten – My memory is fine. My memory – Take a look at what I've done since I’ve become president. None of you thought could I pass any of the things I got passed. How did that happen? You know, I guess I just forgot what was going on.
TYLER PAGER: Mr. President, the voters have concerns about your age. How are you going to assuage them and do you fear this this report only going to fuel further concern about your?
BIDEN: Only by some of you.
(…)
8:04:34 p.m. Eastern
MJ LEE: Mr. President, for months when you were asked about your age, would you respond with the words, “watch me.” Many American people have been watching and they have expressed concerns about your age.
BIDEN [interrupting]: That is your judgment! That is your judgment! That is not the judgment of the press!
LEE: They express concerns about your mental acuity. They say you are too old. Mr. President, in December you told me that you believed there are many other Democrats who could defeat Donald Trump. So why does it have to be you now? What is your answer to that question?
BIDEN: Because I'm the most qualified person in this country to be president of the United States and finish the job I started.
(…)
8:08:05 p.m. Eastern
BIDEN: I'm of the view, as you know, that the conduct of the response [long pause] in Gaza, in the Gaza strip has been, um, over the top. I think that [long pause], as you know, initially, the president of Mexico El-Sisi did not want to open up the gate to allow humanitarian material to get in. I talked to him. I convinced him to open the gate. I talked to Bibi to open the gate on the Israeli side. I've been pushing really hard. Really hard to get humanitarian assistance into Gaza.
(…)
