President Joe Biden, 81, has reportedly held only two public events before 11:00 a.m. and none before 10:00 a.m. since dropping out of the presidential race on July 21.
Biden’s relaxed schedule seems to underscore Vice President Kamala Harris’s role in White House decision making. Last week, Biden stated that he delegated “everything” as commander-in-chief to Harris, including foreign policy and domestic policy.
The nation currently faces many serious crises: hurricane relief efforts in North Carolina and other states, the southern border invasion, the Ukraine/Russia war, and an Iranian missile attack on Israel.
“With one exception, all publicly scheduled calls and meetings with other world leaders have been between 11am and 5pm — a sign of how Biden’s staff continues to narrow his work hours as they manage his stamina,” Axios’s Alex Thompson and Neal Rothschild reported:
Even before the disastrous nighttime debate in June that led to the end of his re-election campaign, Biden’s aides had privately noted that he’s reliably on message between 10am and 4pm — and more likely to get fatigued and have trouble speaking outside those hours.
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Before he withdrew from the race, Biden tried to reassure Democratic governors that he would get more sleep to avoid a repeat debate performance, and would stop scheduling events after 8pm.
Biden has also continued to avoid the media. He has sat for few interviews and only occasionally responds to questions outside the White House before or after flights.
When the public does catch a glimpse of the president, his cognition appears in poor shape. Biden saying he delegated “everything” as commander-in-chief to Harris was a blow to her, as she is trying to distance herself from the Biden-Harris record.
“I’m obviously not Joe Biden, and you know, I offer a new generation of leadership,” Harris told Brian Taff of Philadelphia’s Action News 6 ABC on September 13. “My approach is about new ideas, new policies that are directed at the current moment. And also, to be very honest with you, my focus is very much in what we need to do over the next ten, twenty years to catch up to the twenty-first century.”
In a separate incident, Biden appeared confused when a reporter asked him on Thursday about relief for Hurricane Helene victims in North Carolina. “What do the states in the storm zone need — after what you saw today?”
“Oh, storm zone? I didn’t know which storm you’re talking about,” Biden replied:
In Biden’s absence, Harris announced just $750 in aid for Hurricane Helene victims, mere days after she and Biden announced $8 billion in a new installment of aid for Ukraine.
“WHO IS RUNNING THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA?!” Kylie Jane Kremer, the executive director of Women for America First, questioned. “This is beyond concerning. It is a NATIONAL EMERGENCY that we do not have a Commander In Chief.”
Wendell Husebo is a political reporter with Breitbart News and a former RNC War Room Analyst. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality. Follow Wendell on “X” @WendellHusebø or on Truth Social @WendellHusebo.