White House insists Biden withdrawal not about health
US President Joe Biden’s decision not to seek a second term in office had “nothing to do with his health,” nor did the White House “cover up” his cognitive decline, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Wednesday.
Biden announced on Sunday that he was dropping out of the race for the White House and endorsing his vice president, Kamala Harris, to run in his stead. The announcement came almost a month after Biden’s disastrous debate performance against his Republican challenger, Former President Donald Trump, in which he appeared confused and struggled to finish his sentences.
“It has nothing to do with his health,” Jean-Pierre said. “In his letter he talked about the country, he talked about the party, he talked about the moment we’re in right now. It is not about his health. I can say no, that’s not the reason.”
Jean-Pierre insisted for weeks that Biden would remain in the race, dismissing questions about the president’s health, and maintaining that his floundering at the debate was the result of “a bad cold.” At Wednesday’s briefing, Jean-Pierre denied that the White House hid evidence of the president’s declining faculties.
“There’s been no cover up, [I] want to be very clear about that,” she said.
In an address to the nation later on Wednesday evening, Biden explained his decision to drop out of the race. Although he appeared to have lost weight and slurred his words, Biden did not mention his health during the 11-minute speech. Instead, the 81-year-old said that he wanted to “pass the torch to a new generation,” and that “nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy.”
In the weeks that followed his debate with Trump, Biden was pressured by his fellow Democrats and top donors to suspend his campaign. Former President Barack Obama reportedly told Biden’s allies that he should “seriously consider” quitting, and that his path to reelection had “greatly diminished” after the debate.
However, Biden told BET News earlier this month that he would only drop out if he “had some medical condition that emerged” which hindered his ability to “get the job done.”
Prior to his withdrawal, Biden had been trailing Trump in most polls. Harris is polling slightly better against Trump than Biden was, with a Reuters/Ipsos survey showing her two points ahead of the Republican. However, analysts have cautioned that this initial “bump” in support will likely subside in the coming weeks.
