White House fends off tough questions about Biden’s mental fitness after debate performance

Washington CNN —

The White House on Tuesday fended off tough questions about President Joe Biden’s mental fitness, acknowledging his poor performance in last week’s debate while maintaining the president is still able to hold and run for office.

“First of all, I want to say, we understand the concerns. We get it. The president did not have a great night,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

She later added: “We’re not taking away from what the American people saw.”

Tuesday’s press briefing, the first since the debate, came as Biden has faced one of the toughest stretches of his presidency and with his reelection campaign reeling. Campaign officials are scrambling to calm donors who were shocked by Biden’s halting, hoarse performance. The White House announced Tuesday that Biden is expected to meet with Democratic governors and congressional leaders Wednesday after some demanded a meeting with the president. Some officials have been turned off by the Biden campaign’s dismissiveness over their concerns about the president’s health. And earlier Tuesday, a Democratic member of Congress became the first to ask Biden to drop out of the race.

The White House preempted the first questions from reporters by announcing Biden will appear in two high-profile events over the next week: an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that will air in part on Friday and a solo news conference during the NATO summit in Washington next week.

President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event in Raleigh, North Carolina, on June 28, 2024.

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Such unscripted events are rare for the president, who by CNN’s count lags behind his