Axios's Alex Thompson dismisses multiple explanations offered by the White House for President Biden's underwhelming debate performance, claiming they lack coherence and fail to fully account for his apparent cognitive difficulties.
President Biden's lackluster performance in last week's presidential debate has raised concerns within the Democratic Party about his chances of victory in November. In an attempt to alleviate these concerns, Biden's allies have offered several explanations for his poor showing. However, a prominent journalist has challenged these justifications, arguing that they are inconsistent and fail to provide a convincing explanation for the president's cognitive issues.
In the days following the debate, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre attributed Biden's performance to a "cold" and "jet lag" resulting from his recent trip to Europe for the G-7 summit. In a subsequent appearance on CNN, Axios national political reporter Alex Thompson dismissed these excuses, highlighting their lack of coherence.
White House's Excuses for Biden's Debate Performance Slammed by Axios Reporter
"We don't have enough time to go through all the shifting explanations," Thompson said. "They didn't even say he had a cold until an hour into the debate. Then, earlier this week, Joe Biden himself never mentioned having a cold. Later, Karine Jean-Pierre said he had no cold medication when he claimed to have a cold."
Thompson further analyzed Biden's explanation of "travel fatigue," pointing out that the president had been in the Eastern Time Zone for 10 days prior to the debate and had arranged for significant downtime during his travels.
White House's Excuses for Biden's Debate Performance Slammed by Axios Reporter
"The White House has been unable to provide a cohesive explanation for why Joe Biden struggled to string together simple sentences during the debate," Thompson said. "If he was sick, that doesn't explain his inability to answer simple questions."
Thompson concluded his assessment by expressing skepticism over the White House's ability to provide a satisfactory explanation for Biden's performance.
White House's Excuses for Biden's Debate Performance Slammed by Axios Reporter
"I'm not sure if there's a good one," Thompson said.
In the aftermath of the debate, polls conducted by various news organizations have shown a decline in Biden's favorability ratings and an increase in support for former President Trump. With less than two months until the election, the White House is facing increasing pressure to address Biden's cognitive difficulties and provide a credible explanation for his underwhelming debate performance.
White House's Excuses for Biden's Debate Performance Slammed by Axios Reporter
Thompson's comments underscore the growing concern within the Democratic Party about Biden's mental fitness and his ability to withstand the demands of the campaign and the presidency. The White House's inability to provide a satisfactory explanation for his recent performance is further fueling these concerns and raising questions about Biden's ability to lead the nation in the critical months ahead.
