Thom R – June 5 2025

Joe Biden’s Cognitive Ability in 2024: Revelations, Assertions, and a Hypothetical Prime-Time Test

Recent revelations about former President Joe Biden’s cognitive ability during his final year in office have sparked intense debate, raising questions about his decision-making capacity and the transparency of his administration. These discussions, fueled by new books and insider accounts, have prompted scrutiny over Biden’s assertion that he was fully in control of his presidency’s decisions in 2024. To address these concerns, a hypothetical prime-time television event—where Biden would face unscripted questions from the House Majority Leader and Minority Leader about his 2024 decisions—could serve as a public litmus test for his mental acuity. This article explores the revelations, Biden’s defense, and how such a scenario might unfold.

Revelations About Biden’s Cognitive Ability in 2024

In 2024, concerns about Joe Biden’s cognitive health became a central issue during his ill-fated re-election campaign. A new book, 2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America by journalists Tyler Pager, Josh Dawsey, and Isaac Arnsdorf, revealed that Biden’s aides debated whether he should take a cognitive test in February 2024 to quell public concerns about his mental fitness. Despite confidence that he would pass, the aides ultimately decided against it, fearing the optics of the test itself would amplify doubts about his abilities. This decision came shortly before Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report described Biden as “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” a characterization that intensified public scrutiny.

Another book, Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson, detailed troubling episodes from Biden’s final years in office. Based on over 200 interviews, mostly with Democratic insiders, the book reported instances where Biden struggled to recall the names of top aides, appeared incoherent, and lost his train of thought. His aides reportedly shielded him from public view to mask his decline, with some even discussing the possibility of him needing a wheelchair due to physical deterioration. These accounts suggest that Biden’s inner circle carefully managed his public appearances to limit exposure of his cognitive and physical challenges.

The June 2024 presidential debate against Donald Trump proved to be a turning point. Biden’s halting performance, marked by moments of confusion and difficulty articulating thoughts, shocked voters and Democratic allies alike. This led to intense pressure from party leaders, including then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who warned Biden that he risked tarnishing his legacy if he continued his campaign. By July 2024, Biden withdrew his re-election bid, paving the way for Vice President Kamala Harris to take the Democratic nomination.

Adding to these concerns, reports emerged that Biden was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer in 2024, which had spread to his bones. This health revelation, not disclosed in his annual physicals, raised further questions about the transparency of his administration regarding his overall fitness to lead.

Biden’s Assertion of Decision-Making Authority

Despite these revelations, Biden has firmly maintained that he was fully in control of his administration’s decisions. In response to claims of a cover-up, Biden issued a statement in 2025 dismissing such allegations as “ridiculous.” He asserted, “I made the decisions during my presidency. I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false.”

However, accounts from insiders challenge this narrative. House Speaker Mike Johnson recounted a January 2024 meeting where Biden appeared unaware of an executive order he had signed months earlier regarding liquefied natural gas exports. Additionally, Original Sin reported that some Cabinet members were briefed by senior aides rather than Biden himself, raising questions about whether his inner circle was shaping decisions to compensate for his limitations. One Cabinet secretary wondered, “Yes, the president is ‘making the decisions,’ but if the inner circle is shaping them in such a way, is it really a decision?”

These conflicting accounts have fueled Republican-led inquiries, including a planned Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in 2025 to investigate “who was running the country” during Biden’s perceived decline. Critics argue that the lack of transparency about Biden’s condition may have compromised national decision-making, while supporters maintain that he remained an effective leader despite his age-related challenges.

A Hypothetical Prime-Time Test

To address these concerns and test Biden’s cognitive ability, a proposed prime-time television event could see the former president face unscripted questions from House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). The format would involve random questions about specific decisions Biden made in 2024, testing his recall and understanding of his administration’s actions. The event would air at 8:00 PM, ensuring maximum viewership, and aim to provide a transparent assessment of his mental acuity.

The Setup

• Moderators: Scalise and Jeffries, representing bipartisan perspectives, would each pose five questions, drawn randomly from a pool of topics related to Biden’s 2024 decisions.
• Format: Biden would have two minutes to respond to each question, with no teleprompter or pre-shared questions to ensure authenticity.
• Topics: Questions would focus on executive orders, legislative priorities, foreign policy decisions, and domestic policy actions taken in 2024.

Sample Questions

1. From Steve Scalise (R-LA): “Mr. President, in January 2024, you signed an executive order halting pending authorizations for liquefied natural gas exports. Can you explain the rationale behind this decision and how you weighed its economic impact?”
   Context: This question tests Biden’s recall of a specific action, as House Speaker Mike Johnson noted Biden’s apparent unawareness of this order in a meeting.
2. From Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY): “In 2024, your administration pushed for the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act enhancements. What specific measures did you prioritize in negotiations with Congress, and how did you address Republican concerns?”
   Context: This question probes Biden’s memory of legislative efforts, a key part of his domestic agenda, and his ability to articulate policy details.
3. From Steve Scalise (R-LA): “Your administration faced criticism for its handling of the Afghanistan situation in 2024, particularly regarding troop withdrawals. What decisions did you make to address the evolving security challenges there?”
   Context: Foreign policy decisions were a significant part of Biden’s presidency, and this question tests his grasp of complex international issues.
4. From Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY): “In July 2024, you issued several pardons, including for your son, Hunter Biden. Can you walk us through your decision-making process and how you addressed potential conflicts of interest?”
   Context: This question addresses a controversial decision, testing Biden’s ability to explain and defend a high-profile action.
5. From Steve Scalise (R-LA): “Your administration’s response to inflation in 2024 included specific economic measures. Can you detail one key policy you championed and its intended impact on American families?”
   Context: Economic policy was a focal point in 2024, and this question assesses Biden’s ability to recall and explain domestic policy decisions.

Potential Outcomes

If Biden answers these questions with clarity, confidence, and detailed recall, it could bolster his assertion that he was fully in control of his presidency’s decisions. Such a performance might counter narratives of cognitive decline and reinforce his legacy as an effective leader. For example, a cogent explanation of his economic policies or foreign policy decisions could demonstrate his command of complex issues, aligning with his team’s claim that he was “a very effective president.”

Conversely, if Biden struggles to recall specifics, loses his train of thought, or provides vague responses, it could validate concerns raised in recent books and by critics like Senator John Cornyn, who called for probes into Biden’s fitness. A poor performance might also intensify Republican narratives about a lack of transparency and raise further questions about who was guiding key decisions in 2024.

Challenges and Considerations

The unscripted nature of the event would be critical to its credibility but could pose risks for Biden, given reports of his difficulty with off-the-cuff settings. The choice of Scalise and Jeffries as moderators ensures bipartisan scrutiny, though their differing political agendas could lead to pointed or loaded questions. Jeffries, who largely avoided commenting on Biden’s condition in 2024, might focus on policy achievements, while Scalise could press on controversial decisions like pardons or foreign policy missteps. The public nature of the event would also amplify any missteps, as seen in Biden’s 2024 debate performance, which led to his campaign’s collapse.

Broader Implications

The revelations about Biden’s cognitive ability have sparked a broader reckoning within the Democratic Party. Some Democrats, like Representative Ro Khanna, have acknowledged in hindsight that Biden should not have run for re-election, citing a lack of full transparency about his condition. Others, like Senator Chris Murphy, argue that while Biden showed control in 2023, public perception shifted by 2024, contributing to the party’s electoral losses. These admissions highlight a tension between loyalty to Biden and the need for candor about his limitations.

The proposed prime-time event, while hypothetical, underscores the public’s demand for transparency from leaders, especially on issues of cognitive fitness. As Biden’s presidency recedes into history, the debate over his mental acuity and decision-making authority will likely shape discussions about age, health, and leadership in future elections. For now, the contrast between Biden’s assertion of control and the accounts of his aides and observers leaves an unresolved question: who was truly steering the ship in 2024?

A prime-time test could have provided a definitive moment to address these concerns, offering Biden a chance to prove his detractors wrong—or confirming the doubts that have lingered since his final year in office. Until such a moment occurs, the revelations from 2024 will continue to fuel debate about his presidency and its legacy.