REPORT: White House Aides Caught Hiding Biden’s Mental Decline From Press For Years

Amidst swirling questions about President Joe Biden’s ability to serve a second term, reports have emerged that his closest aides have tightly controlled his interactions since the onset of his presidency. The guarded approach has significantly limited access to Biden, both from figures within and outside the White House.

The strategy came sharply into focus following Biden’s performance at Thursday night’s debate, which left many current and former White House aides stunned by the 81-year-old president’s apparent limitations according to reports. The debate’s aftermath intensified concerns, with insiders since openly questioning Biden’s capability to handle the demands of another four years in office.

“It’s time for Joe to go.”

These were the blunt words of Chandler West, the White House’s deputy director of photography from January 2021 to May 2022, shared in an Instagram story following the recent presidential debate. According to screenshots obtained by Axios, West expressed his concerns that have been privately acknowledged by insiders for some time.

“I know many of these people and how the White House operates. They will say he has a ‘cold’ or just experienced a ‘bad night,’ but for weeks and months, in private, they have all said what we saw last night — Joe is not as strong as he was just a couple of years ago,” West wrote. When reached by phone, West confirmed he wrote the post because “the debate was not the first bad day, and it’s not gonna be the last.”

The White House’s residence staff, who serve the first family in the mansion’s living quarters, has been kept at a distance. A former residence official told Axios, “Jill Biden was so protective of the president, and then Anthony [Anthony Bernal, Jill Biden’s top aide] just protects her, and they often wouldn’t let us do anything for them.”

The official added, “The separation between the family and the residence staff was so big, so divided. It’s not supposed to be and usually isn’t, even in the Trump White House.” A White House official stated, “He is deeply appreciative of the residence staff’s work, but is unused to being waited on regularly or having butlers, so some staff are often allowed to go home early.”

WATCH:

CNN contributor Scott Jennings said on Monday, “I don’t think you can compare it to anybody’s previous bad debate performances. It’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen in presidential campaigns. The deterioration of Joe Biden over four years is painfully obvious to everyone. To me, it really goes beyond the campaign. I mean, there’s reporting this morning from Axios about Joe Biden’s closest aides working very hard to shield access to him from virtually everyone over the last three and a half years.”

“I think people don’t just have questions about the campaign today; they have questions about how the White House is running right now! They have questions about whether he can do the job today, let alone for four more years,” Jennings said. “What we saw Thursday night, he’s not just a candidate; he’s the president right now. And so, a lot of people I talk to want to know what’s going on in there and if he is up to the task.”

(STAY INFORMED! Download the FREE Trending Politics app)