Congressional Republicans are feeling vindicated over their long-held complaints that President Joe Biden‘s mental capabilities are insufficient for another four years in the White House.
But to Republicans, the report was just more evidence proving their arguments that the public cannot grant Biden, at 81, another chance to lead the nation.
“I think it just tells Republicans what we already know. We’ve seen this time and time again, where it’s not just what he’s demonstrating in private but what we see in public, and the issue is not for Republicans,” Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), a member of the GOP Senate leadership team, said. “But what’s the Democrats’ reaction to this?”
“Because I have Democrats that have said that they have got to get this figured out because they do not want him as their nominee,” Ernst said.
Ernst, like many other Republicans, doesn’t believe Biden will remain the Democratic presidential nominee by the time the Democratic National Committee convention is held in August. “Just seeing how he interacts on the public stage, how can he go another four years?” Ernst questioned.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who is vying to replace Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) as the GOP’s top leader in the upper chamber, echoed Ernst’s comments to the Washington Examiner.
“Maybe the hardest decision that people in public life, or maybe any area of life, have are when to quit,” Cornyn said. “And I think President Biden is not quitting at the top of his game, shall we say. So, I mean, I don’t take any joy in it.”
“He’s missing a step physically and mentally, but people are going to have to factor that into their decision-making process,” he added.
When questioned, some Republicans pushed for the release of the audio recording of special counsel Robert Hur’s classified documents interview with Biden.
“The reason they don’t want us to have the audio version is because they don’t want his competency and his ability to be called into question in front of the election,” Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) said. “But this is important for the American people. If the president of the United States does not have the mental capacity to do his job, why in the world would people give him four more years?”
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) also pointed to Hur’s report earlier this year that called into question Biden’s mental capabilities and claimed the public, and Democrats in particular, would have to “judge for themselves.”
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), however, warned that Biden won’t be judged just on his cognitive fitness in November but on his leadership over the last four years.
“I think his decisions with regard to what he calls Bidenomics have been a major thing,” Rounds said. “I think that’s what most people are gonna vote on is whether or not, you know, the economy is his fault or not. And I think they’re gonna decide this economy is his fault.”
The public’s consternation over rising grocery and gas prices has coincided with Biden’s approval numbers dipping and could be a serious obstacle for the president to overcome if he wishes to win his reelection bid.
But Democrats have argued that his other legislative accomplishments, coupled with former President Donald Trump’s legal problems, will push Biden to victory in November.
In defending Biden against the Wall Street Journal’s story, Democrats have pointed to Trump’s conviction last week of 34 counts of falsifying business records.
“They’re backing a convicted felon who says he wants to be dictator on day one,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), a top Biden surrogate, said. “So they’re hoping they can change the subject by making something up about Joe Biden. That’s just not true.”
Most Democrats claim Biden is mentally sharp in private conversations, dismissing the sources as Republican fearmongering. They’ve also claimed that Trump, at 77, is in the same age cohort as Biden.
“He’s completely lucid. He’s completely funny, and he’s got great political sense,” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) said. “He loves hanging around with people who are actually doing politics around the country.”
“Is he old? Yes, Joe Biden is an old man. Period. We know and like, let’s, you know, let’s move on,” Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) said. “Donald Trump is just a few years younger, they could have been in the same high school together at the same time.”
But Republicans believe Biden won’t be able to convince the public to give him four more years in office after multiple instances of him stumbling in public along with the private reports of his mental struggles.
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“The Wall Street Journal report raises doubts that Joe Biden can even still count to four, but extreme House Democrats want four more years,” National Republican Congressional Committee national press secretary Will Reinert said in a statement Wednesday.
“We’ve seen his cognitive decline. I mean, he’s cooked,” Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) taunted. “His brain’s cooked.”