The White House has been quick to push back vigorously against any notion that Biden has experienced any cognitive decline.
staff er. “It was diff erent. Concerning.” Yet despite the occasional lapses, behind closed doors
Biden still appeared in control of his cognitive functions — most of the time. “The president isn’t stumbling around, bumping into
the furniture or talking to ghosts. But there defi nitely is a problem, especially when he gets tired. That is a real thing. “And some days are worse than others.” Those tasked with working with Biden, including for-
mer House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said that the Biden he saw during the debt negotiations in May was notably diff erent, telling reporters that he didn’t think he was negotiating with the president. Instead, Biden appeared to be looking at a set of pre-
pared notecards; if the information brought to the table wasn’t on the cards he was holding, he wasn’t able to agree, according to McCarthy. However, Republicans aren’t the only ones who have
brought up the age issue. Even prominent Democrats have also begun to publicly raise concerns over Biden’s fi tness for offi ce. In November, former White House offi cial and politi-
cal consultant David Axelrod questioned the president’s chances in 2024, pointing out that “the age arrow only points in one direction” and suggested it might be in the best interest of the nation for the president to drop out of the race. “The stakes of miscalculation here are too dramatic to
ignore,” Axelrod posted on X. The president allegedly responded by calling Axelrod
a “prick.” The White House has been quick to push back vigor-
ously against any notion that Biden has experienced any cognitive decline. “Our perspective is that it’s not about age. It’s about
the president’s experience,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at a Nov. 20 briefi ng. “I would put the president’s stamina, the president’s wisdom, [and] ability to get things done on behalf of the
Continued on page 62
Unfi t to Serve? Let Voters Decide
Congress could remove a president, but it would take a two-thirds majority.
W
hen the delegates to the 1787 Constitutional Convention pondered the question of what age a president should be,
the big concern wasn’t about the of ice-holder being too elderly, but too youthful. As a result, Article 2 in the U.S. Constitution specifies a minimum age of 35, but doesn’t set a maximum. However, the framers did provide safeguards to later
generations in the event that the president was no longer fit to carry out their duties. The 25th Amendment allows Congress to deem a president
“unable to discharge the powers and duties of his of ice” and remove him from power. In this case, once Congress receives a declaration of the
president’s inability to fulfill his role, both Houses could decide by a two-thirds vote to replace him with the vice president. Leading Republicans have not shown any interest in
exercising this option, not just because it would elevate Kamala Harris to the Oval Of ice, but it would likely be a futile exercise in such a divided Congress. Yet one road map in attempting to streamline action has
already been proposed. In 2020, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi proposed a bill
to establish a Commission on Presidential Capacity to Discharge the Powers and Duties of the Of ice to help carry out the 25th Amendment process in the event that the president became mentally incapacitated. Pelosi’s bill would have created a commission of
17 physicians and former executive branch of icials. Pelosi said passage of the bill would prove important to
“preserving stability if a president suff ers a crippling physical or mental problem.” She added that the bill was not about President Donald Trump, who was serving at the time, but the future. “He will face the judgment of the voters,” Pelosi said of
Trump. “But he shows the need for us to create a process for future presidents.” The bill ultimately failed to become law. In the end, the final referendum on President Joe Biden’s
fitness for of ice will be delivered in November by the voters. “It won’t be Congress or the White House physician but the
American voter who will have the ultimate say,” said Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, who served as a White House physician. “Just the way our framers intended.”
FEBRUARY 2024 | NEWSMAX 61
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