BIDEN HEALTH ‘COVER-UP’: Top Aides ‘Aggressively’ Hiding Devastating Toll of Aging on Ailing President
Joe Biden’s chief aides are being accused of “aggressively” covering up the devastating effects of aging on the under-fire president.
As America’s oldest leader – set to turn 82 in November – faces growing calls to quit the 2024 White House race, insiders close to his campaign claim his team of advisers are working relentlessly to cover up how age is taking a toll on the flailing Democrat.
The sources say a string of his senior staff are throwing a ring of steel around Biden and “stage-managing” everything from his schedule and movements to his personal interactions and media interviews in a desperate battle to hide signs of the octogenarian’s struggles with debating, quick thinking and encounters with potential voters.
In an in-depth chat with a series of Biden campaign insiders, The Wall Street Journal is also reporting White House bosses have “limited” Biden’s daily diary and shielded him from unplanned exchanges.
Sources said: “The White House has limited Biden’s daily itinerary and shielded him from impromptu exchanges.
Advisers have restricted news conferences and media appearances, twice declining Super Bowl halftime interviews—an easy way to reach millions of voters—and sought to make sure meetings with donors stuck to scripted pleasantries.”
An audit of Biden’s diary shows he’s held fewer news conferences and interviews than any U.S. president at this point in their terms in 40 years.
Only President Ronald Reagan, who was voted into power in 1980 and was aged 77 when he left office in 1989, had less meetings at the same period in his first term.
Those closest to the president have named a string of “big picture” advisers they say are to “blame” for battling to stop the public from spotting signs of the president's struggles.
Those named include 66-year-old senior adviser Anita Dunn and long-time political counselors Steve Ricchetti, 67, and Mike Donilon, 65.
Insiders also fingered lesser-known aides who have reportedly served as gatekeepers for the president – including close confidants Annie Tomasini, 47, and Anthony Bernal.
Biden’s closest allies have defended the 81-year-old amid reports he’s “forgetful,” regularly “stumbles over words” and consistently “struggles to convey his thoughts”.
Senator Patty Murray, 73 – a longtime and outspoken supporter of President Biden – said: “He engages in a very personal way, asking questions.”
But even the Biden backer changed her tune in the wake of Biden’s disastrous debate performance in Atlanta last month.
- EthelGate: Joe Biden Branded 'Former President' In Massive Gaffe By White House Press Secretary After His Intense Conversation With Barack Obama at Ethel Kennedy Funeral
- Barack Obama Fuming Over Donald Trump Presidential Victory ‘Ruining Legacy’ — and Fretting Democrats Are Sounding Like ‘Scolding Coastal Elites’
- Fishy Business: Biden's Homeland Security Boss Caught Gorging on Sushi From Swanky Nobu — Hours After Brief Trip to Hurricane-Ravaged North Carolina
DAILY. BREAKING. CELEBRITY NEWS. ALL FREE.
She admitted: “We need to see a much more forceful and energetic candidate on the campaign trail in the very near future in order for him to convince voters he is up to the job.”
White House spokesman Andrew Bates, 36, has disputed reports Biden has been secretly “shielded from the public” and that his staff “acted as gatekeepers” to stop the public from seeing the true impacts of aging on the Democrat.
Never miss a story — sign up for the RadarOnline.com newsletter to get your daily dose of dope. Daily. Breaking. Celebrity news. All free.
He’s said: “Joe Biden is proud of the team he leads as he continues to build on the most successful record in modern American history.”
In another blow to Biden – trailing two points behind Donald Trump in the latest polls – some of his biggest donors felt “duped” by the president’s team.
They say they were “tricked” at fundraising dinners about him being in tip-top condition.
Deep-pocketed donors have singled out Jeffrey Katzenberg – the 73-year-old Hollywood mogul who serves as the current co-chair of Biden’s 2024 re-election campaign – as one of the chief “tricksters”.
Their rage intensified after seeing Biden’s cringe-inducingly weak performance against Trump in the June 27 debate.
“We finally beat Medicare!” Biden blurted out early in the debate after losing his train of thought and freezing up.
Worries over Biden’s age and mental sharpness stretch back years.
Trump, 78, cruelly dubbed Biden 'Sleepy Joe' during the last race for the White House in 2020, with his critics constantly battering the Democrat with the nickname ever since.
Alarm over Biden’s age and abilities mounted last year when Special Counsel Robert Hur published a damning report regarding the president’s possession of classified documents.
Biden sparked more worries after repeatedly falling up the stairs while climbing aboard Air Force One, and again during an appearance at a graduation ceremony for the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Nine House Democrats are calling on him to quit the race for the 2024 White House.
Scores of celebrities, including outspoken writer Stephen King, 76, and director Rob Reiner, 77, have also called on the president to withdraw.
RadarOnline.com has called the White House but has not received a response. We have asked them for comment on Biden's aides and his current condition.