How Good Is Biden’s Memory? Special Counsel Report Renews Speculation
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Special counsel Robert Hur cited President Joe Biden’s purported “poor memory” in deciding not to charge him for his handling of classified documents, once again placing the president’s age at the center of partisan discourse.
The Details: Hur noted that Biden appeared to forget key events from his vice presidency in a 2023 interview. Biden defended himself in a Thursday night press conference, saying the interview took place while he was preoccupied with the onset of the war in Gaza. Biden took particular issue with Hur’s claim that he forgot the year his son died, saying, “I don’t need anyone, anyone, to remind me when he passed away.”
‘President Methuselah’: Despite Biden’s insistence on his mental ability, many op-eds from conservative voices questioned whether Biden was mentally fit to be president. National Review’s (Opinion rated Right) Jim Geraghty called Biden’s press conference “disastrous” and a “train wreck,” highlighting other pundits who raised concerns about his memory.
‘Disgusting Furor’: Voices from the left were mixed; some criticized Hur for making “a gratuitous swipe at the president.” In The New York Times (Opinion rated Left), Paul Krugman said Biden was “perfectly lucid” and suggested it was former President Donald Trump who was “sundowning.”
‘There are arguments either way’: Other liberal voices were not as quick to defend Biden; a writer in Slate (Left bias) said, “the case that it’s bad for him is pretty obvious.” However, they wrote, low expectations “could also set Biden up to stride easily over a low bar.” Generally, commentators framed the issue of Biden’s age as an unavoidable political challenge.
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