No wonder California Gov. Gavin Newsom avoided the cameras after the Democratic governor held an emergency meeting with Joe Biden at the White House on Wednesday night to see if he wants to remain the Democratic presidential nominee. Biden told governors he would remain in the race.
The New York Times reported that Biden told nearly two dozen governors, about half of whom attended in person and others via video conference, that his health was good and “it’s just something wrong with my brain.”
The Biden campaign later dismissed the remark as a joke in comments to The Times.
Dr. Jill Biden, Ed.D., helps Biden off the stage after last Thursday’s presidential debate in Atlanta. Image courtesy of the Trump campaign.
Biden also reportedly said he needs to sleep more, work fewer hours and not attend events after 8 p.m.
Biden blamed the time difference between two trips to Europe and a fundraising trip to California last month for his disastrous debate performance against President Trump on Thursday. A week before the debate, Biden retreated to Camp David and took a nap during debate preparations.
Biden also blamed his poor debate performance on a cold. He told governors that he had been examined by a doctor after the debate — a direct contradiction of what the White House told reporters that he had not been examined by a doctor after the debate.
Excerpt from the New York Times:
President Joe Biden told a gathering of Democratic governors that he needed to get more sleep and cut back on work hours, including cutting back on activities after 8 p.m., according to two people who attended the meeting and several others briefed on his remarks.
…gentlemen. Biden said he told staff he needed to get more sleep, multiple people familiar with the meeting said. He repeatedly mentioned that he was too demanding, didn’t listen to the team’s schedule, and said he needed to reduce his hours and avoid activities after 8 p.m., according to a person familiar with the meeting.
Hawaii Governor Josh Green, a doctor, asked Biden about his health, and Biden responded that he was in good health. “It’s just my brain,” three people familiar with the matter said.
Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon, who was present at the meeting, said in a statement that Biden said “as a joke” at the time, which was confirmed by another person briefed on the meeting. A memory. Ms O’Malley Dillon added: “He was obviously joking.”
CNN (CNN) confirmed the Times report:
Sources say President Biden told Democratic governors he plans to stop scheduling events after 8 p.m. to get more sleep https://t.co/yZTIkBiBdB
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) July 4, 2024
The White House confirmed to reporters on Thursday that Biden had been examined by a doctor in the days following last week’s debate, CNN’s MJ Lee reports, “White House flamboyant Andrew Bates confirmed that Biden had been examined by a doctor in the days following last week’s debate. Check,” to verify the situation. He caught a cold and recovered well. “
Lee noted that White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Wednesday dismissed the idea that Biden even needed a doctor, saying, “He’s not been checked by a doctor. It’s cold, guys. A cold. I know it does to everybody.” The effects are all different. We’ve both had colds, so no, he hasn’t been checked by a doctor.
A White House official added that when Biden went to the doctor after the debate, it was only for a “brief checkup” and not a physical exam. My question yesterday wasn’t whether he had another physical.
— MJ Lee (@mj_lee) July 4, 2024
The White House is drawing a distinction between physical exams and being examined by a doctor. Later in the same briefing:
“He hasn’t been checked by a doctor. It’s cold, guys. Cold.”
“We’ve all had colds. So no, he hasn’t been checked by a doctor.” pic.twitter.com/k21FCEVn8L
— MJ Lee (@mj_lee) July 4, 2024
Part of a president’s job is to be available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and be prepared to make the most difficult decisions. By his own admission, Joe Biden is not up to the job now, let alone for another four years.
