Tyler Pager

At the same time, it's hard to divorce that from the weakened change that preceded it, which was just an unending string of bad news for the former president.

Yeah, I mean, you can't separate this from the reality that the party –

Yeah, I mean, you can't separate this from the reality that the party –

has been having a conversation about Biden's health and what people knew about his health and what some of the people closest to him, both his aides and other elected officials who were close allies, kind of what they knew about how capable he was of performing the duties of the presidency and what the gap might have been between that reality and what people said to the public.

has been having a conversation about Biden's health and what people knew about his health and what some of the people closest to him, both his aides and other elected officials who were close allies, kind of what they knew about how capable he was of performing the duties of the presidency and what the gap might have been between that reality and what people said to the public.

And so this is getting thrown on top of that conversation, almost like pouring gasoline on a fire. People still feel deep empathy for him and feel sad that he is going through this. But I think it's also fits in with the anger that a lot of Democrats have at former President Biden and the people closest to him who protected and abetted him throughout this process.

And so this is getting thrown on top of that conversation, almost like pouring gasoline on a fire. People still feel deep empathy for him and feel sad that he is going through this. But I think it's also fits in with the anger that a lot of Democrats have at former President Biden and the people closest to him who protected and abetted him throughout this process.

Yeah, there's a whole host of different types of revelations that fall into various buckets. One, you know, Michael, as you mentioned from the book that I co-wrote with former colleagues at The Washington Post, revealed that some of Biden's closest aides debated before his final physical as president whether they should have him submit for a cognitive test as part of his physical test.

Yeah, there's a whole host of different types of revelations that fall into various buckets. One, you know, Michael, as you mentioned from the book that I co-wrote with former colleagues at The Washington Post, revealed that some of Biden's closest aides debated before his final physical as president whether they should have him submit for a cognitive test as part of his physical test.

They were adamant that he would not fail the cognitive test, but thought that maybe it would help prove to the American people that he was fit to run for office. Ultimately, they decided not to do so in part because they worried it would raise more questions, particularly around why he would take a cognitive test if they didn't think there were any problems there.

They were adamant that he would not fail the cognitive test, but thought that maybe it would help prove to the American people that he was fit to run for office. Ultimately, they decided not to do so in part because they worried it would raise more questions, particularly around why he would take a cognitive test if they didn't think there were any problems there.

Some of the other revelations relate to his memory and his ability to interact with other people, particularly as it relates to faces and names. One of the books recounts a scene at the infamous fundraiser in California, in part hosted by George Clooney, in which the famous actor relates that the president did not recognize him and had to be prompted by an aide.

Some of the other revelations relate to his memory and his ability to interact with other people, particularly as it relates to faces and names. One of the books recounts a scene at the infamous fundraiser in California, in part hosted by George Clooney, in which the famous actor relates that the president did not recognize him and had to be prompted by an aide.

One of the most recognizable human beings in the world. Absolutely. Who has a longstanding relationship with the president that dates back decades. George Clooney is very active in Democratic politics and someone that had a personal relationship with Joe Biden.

One of the most recognizable human beings in the world. Absolutely. Who has a longstanding relationship with the president that dates back decades. George Clooney is very active in Democratic politics and someone that had a personal relationship with Joe Biden.

And there are similar scenes across books that show the president forgetting certain staffers and even lawmakers' names and other key dates.

And there are similar scenes across books that show the president forgetting certain staffers and even lawmakers' names and other key dates.

Yeah, I mean, I was actually talking to somebody today who said that the donor events for the president were so scripted that they not only chose the donors who would ask Biden questions in these private settings, but they just gave the donors questions and asked who wanted to ask which question. And so Biden knew both the questions. And of course, he was given the answers in advance, too.

Yeah, I mean, I was actually talking to somebody today who said that the donor events for the president were so scripted that they not only chose the donors who would ask Biden questions in these private settings, but they just gave the donors questions and asked who wanted to ask which question. And so Biden knew both the questions. And of course, he was given the answers in advance, too.

Mm hmm. And part of the reason this story has been so complicated for Democrats is because Biden's performances were uneven and complicated. Sometimes Democrats said he did quite well. They point to the State of the Unions in 2023 and 2024. Right. Where they were impressed by his performance.