In the wake of Special Counsel Robert Hur's report on President Biden's alleged "poor memory," several Democrats and mainstream media figures have vehemently disagreed with the findings, asserting that the President is "on his game.
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Prominent Democrats, including Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., and Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., along with former CNN reporter John Harwood, have defended Biden, describing him as one of the "sharpest" individuals they have interacted with and fully capable of executing his presidential duties.
"Hes 'on his game,'" Dingell asserted during a recent cable news interview. This defense comes despite a significant portion of American voters expressing concerns about the President's age and mental acuity.
The defense of Biden's mental competence was triggered by Hur's report, released on Thursday, which investigated Biden's alleged mishandling of classified documents while he was a private citizen. Hur found evidence of Biden's illegal handling of documents but refrained from recommending criminal charges, partly due to the belief that a future jury might view Biden's "poor memory" as undermining his ability to intentionally commit the crime.
Biden's press conference on Thursday, which aimed to alleviate concerns about his acuity that had been amplified by Hur's report, stirred up a storm of discussion. The President appeared defensive and combative towards reporters, disputed Hur's findings, and even confused the presidents of Mexico and Egypt in a widely circulated gaffe.
The press conference led even pro-Biden commentators to concede that his age and mental fitness could be liabilities. They noted that both Hur's characterization and Biden's rejection of it were "terrible" for the Democratic Party, particularly with the 2024 election on the horizon.
However, others staunchly defended Biden's intelligence. In response to CNN anchor Jake Tapper's questions about several of Biden's recent gaffes in the context of the Hur report, Goldman defended Biden. He recounted a recent conversation with the President about a complex geopolitical issue, stating, "His mastery and command of a complicated geopolitical situation was just impeccable."
Dingell also defended Biden's mental sharpness during a CNN segment on Friday afternoon. She stated, "This is a man thats on his game."
Harwood, a former White House correspondent, denied that Biden's mental acuity was declining as Hur suggested. After the report was released, Harwood reposted an interview he had conducted with Biden nearly two weeks prior to prove the President's competence.
Harwood wrote, "Hur did his version of Comey's I have no case but need to slap em around a little routine. As for Biden's mental fitness, I talked to him one-on-one at the White House 10 days before Hur did. Here's the video; judge for yourself."
Bloomberg columnist and podcast host Matthew Yglesias also defended Biden. He shared a clip from Bidens press conference in response to the Hur report and wrote, "He seems totally fine and I think needs to do more press."
On MSNBCs "Morning Joe" Friday morning, former Biden 2020 campaign official Adrienne Elrod responded to Hur, asserting that Biden is "perfectly capable" and "perfectly competent."
American environmentalist and journalist Bill McKibben published a column in the L.A. Times early Friday morning, titled, "Age matters. Which is why Bidens age is his superpower," arguing that Bidens age signifies the wisdom and experience that has made him a successful president.
McKibben wrote, "Joe Biden is old. Like each of us, he comes from a particular place in history, in his case the LBJ years. And thats one big reason why his first term has been so full of accomplishments: His age, often cited as the greatest obstacle to his reelection, is actually his superpower."
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