President Joe Biden has sparked concern after allegedly showing signs of poor cognitive performance in private meetings.
As November's presidential election approaches, many Republicans and some Democrats say they were alarmed by the president's mental performance
Among forty-five lawmakers and administration officials who have spoken about Biden's cognitive decline, the most critical of his performance were Republicans, while some Democrats said the president showed his age in several exchanges.
Other Democrats who did not express concerns about how the president handled the meetings, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Among forty-five lawmakers and administration officials spoken to about Biden cognitive decline, the most critical of his performance were RepublicansREUTERSIn January, during a meeting of congressional leaders to negotiate a deal to send additional funding to Ukraine, at least five people said the president spoke so softly at times that many struggled to hear him.
Biden also read from notes to make obvious points, paused for extended lengths of time and closed his eyes for so long that some people in the meeting wondered if he had fallen asleep.
During a separate meeting in February, Biden met one-on-one with House Speaker Mike Johnson when he said a recent policy change by his administration that jeopardises some big-energy projects was just a study.
Johnson was concerned the president had forgotten about the details of his own policy.
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President Joe Biden has sparked concern after allegedly showing signs of poor cognitive performance in private meetings
ReutersFormer House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said: "I used to meet with him when he was vice president. I’d go to his house. He's not the same person."
However, White House chiefs have dismissed the accounts from people who have met with the president or been briefed on the meetings.
"Congressional Republicans, foreign leaders and nonpartisan national-security experts have made clear in their own words that President Biden is a savvy and effective leader who has a deep record of legislative accomplishment," White House spokesman Andrew Bates said.
"Now, in 2024, House Republicans are making false claims as a political tactic that flatly contradict previous statements made by themselves and their colleagues."
Joe Biden announced in April that he will be running a campaign for re-electionReutersAdministration aides familiar with last year’s debt-ceiling negotiations said that Biden was effective.
Some attendees at the meetings blamed Biden's slip-ups on his speech impediment and tendency to be long-winded.
Concerns about the president's mental state were raised earlier this year when Special Counsel Robert K. Hur interviewed him during an investigation into his handling of classified documents.
