Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday joined a chorus of Democrats speaking out in President Biden’s defense after the Wall Street Journal published a report casting doubt on his mental acuity and the president’s performance in private meetings.
Pelosi, in a statement on social platform X, criticized the report for glossing over Democrats’ accounts of their interactions with the president and instead focusing on “Republican attacks.”
“Many of us spent time with @WSJ to publicly share our first-hand experiences with @POTUS, where we see his wisdom, experience, strength, and strategic thinking,” Pelosi wrote. “Instead, the Journal ignored the Democrats’ testimony, focused on the Republicans’ attacks, and published a blockbuster story.”
The story, titled “Behind Closed Doors, Biden Shows Signs of Slipping,” is based on interviews with 45 people over several months, including Democrats and Republicans, according to the outlet. The story includes examples of Biden reading notes in meetings about aid to Ukraine, sometimes deferring questions to aides and sometimes speaking too quietly to be heard.
The Journal noted in the story that while most of the criticism of Biden has come from Republicans, “some Democrats” said Biden “showed his age in several exchanges.”
Pelosi’s criticism echoed those of her Democratic colleagues, who took particular issue with the fact that ousted former President Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was the only lawmaker officially cited as strongly criticizing the president.
But McCarthy – highlighted the White House – praised Biden’s conduct during the private meetings to reach an agreement to increase the debt ceiling.
McCarthy publicly told reporters after those meetings that Biden was “very professional, very smart. Very difficult at the same time,” and he reportedly told colleagues privately that he considered Biden mentally sharp.
McCarthy, in numerous television appearances since making those comments, has focused on highlighting Biden’s alleged reliance on notepads during meetings.
In his comments to the Journal, McCarthy said: “I used to meet with him when he was vice president. I would go to his house,” adding, “He’s not the same person.”
Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez rejected the premise of the Journal story when asked about it on a call with reporters.
“As someone who has spent and continues to spend a lot of time with the president and continues to spend, I think I’m making sure that I’m complying with his… strategic approach every step of the way, I will say he’s, you know, just one of the strongest leaders that I’ve dealt with. engage, work and advise,” she said.
The Wall Street Journal told The Hill it stands by its reporting.
The Journal story is the latest article to raise questions about Biden’s fitness for office as he seeks a second term. Biden is 81 years old and would be 86 at the end of a potential second term.
For years, Republicans have tried to portray Biden as unfit for office and lacking physical and mental fitness for the job. Former President Trump, the presumptive Republican Party nominee for November, has repeatedly attacked Biden as incompetent.
Democrats note that Trump is 77 years old and has been prone to his own verbal stumbles when on the campaign trail. Trump also repeatedly closed his eyes for long periods during his recent criminal trial in New York.
Brett Samuels contributed.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
