Reports suggest President Joe Biden’s aides have tightly controlled his interactions, raising concerns about his ability to serve a second term.
Following the recent debate where Biden’s performance left aides stunned, insiders openly questioned his capacity to handle another four years in office.
Criticism from figures like Chandler West, a former White House official, have shed light on the widespread doubts regarding Biden’s strength.
“It’s time for Joe to go,” former White House deputy director of photography Chandler West wrote.
“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. “The debate was not the first bad day, and it’s not gonna be the last.”
“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,” a former residence official noted.
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.”
One White House official said, “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.”
CNN contributor Scott Jennings highlighted the unprecedented nature of Biden’s decline, saying, “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.”
