A Major New Focus on Joe Biden’s Mental Acuity
Author: Greg Valliere
June 5, 2024
STILL ANOTHER MOMENTUM SHIFT in the presidential campaign is about to erupt, in the wake of a detailed Wall Street Journal article that quotes 45 people who have met with Joe Biden in recent months. Many of these people — but not all of them — have raised serious doubts about his mental acuity.
THIS ARTICLE LANDED DURING THE MIDDLE OF LAST NIGHT, so it may take a few hours for an explosive reaction, but it’s coming. White House officials were quoted, asserting that Biden is sharp and engaged; and some of his supporters noted that Donald Trump may have lost a step or two.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL editorial page is famously conservative and generally supportive of Trump, but the news division has a stellar reputation in Washington and this article has to be taken seriously. The inescapable conclusion is that the president is in an erratic decline, sharp on some days but unfocused and mumbling on others.
THIS DEVELOPMENT IS LIKELY TO DOMINATE THE CAMPAIGN for days to come. Here’s our VERY early take on the implications:
* There will be a firestorm, with rising calls for Biden to step down, but most Democrats will defend him and blast the Journal article as a hatchet job.
* There will be a renewed focus on Kamala Harris, the likely — but not certain — replacement if there’s an emergency by late summer. Does she have the gravitas for the presidency?
* The June 27 debate will take on even more significance, and Biden’s stuttering and frailty will get a renewed focus.
* The mental acuity of Trump, who turns 78 on June 14, will get renewed scrutiny. As the Journal article notes, he also has appeared confused in recent months.
THIS IS A TERRIBLE AND DEPRESSING STORY — bad for the markets, bad for the U.S. standing in the world, and bad for public confidence here at home — with two deeply flawed candidates and an extreme long-shot, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., appealing to voters who are desperate for an alternative.
READ THE ARTICLE THIS MORNING: That’s one of two recommendations from us. The other recommendation is for Kamala Harris — get ready, you may be in the eye of a hurricane this summer.
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