Former
CNN political analyst
Chris Cillizza has admitted he should have “pushed harder” to cover concerns about
President Joe Biden
’s mental and physical health.
In a YouTube video released on Thursday, Cillizza confessed that, despite being regularly urged by Republicans to address Biden’s decline, he failed to do so, brushing off the issue at the time.
“As a reporter, I have a confession to make,” Cillizza said. “I should have pushed harder earlier for more information about Joe Biden’s mental and physical well-being and any signs of decline.”
An apology about my Joe Biden coverage
He recalled that Republicans often contacted him during his time at CNN, questioning why he didn’t address the apparent signs of the president’s deterioration.
However, Cillizza admitted that he “brushed them off” because he had not seen concrete evidence of Biden’s faltering health, despite visible verbal gaffes, physical stumbles, and moments when the president appeared to lose his train of thought in public.
Cillizza’s confession follows a bombshell report by The Wall Street Journal, which reveals how Biden’s aides carefully took advantage of his presidency to conceal the extent of his age-related decline, as per the New York Post.
According to the report, meetings with top national security officials were often rescheduled or cancelled, with staff responding that Biden “has good days and bad days,” and some days were simply “bad days.” Lawmakers also reported having limited contact with the president, who was largely surrounded by his fiercely loyal staff.
Cillizza cited the report in his video, explaining that he accepted the White House’s position that Biden was mentally and physically fit, and which deterred him from pushing harder on the issue. He also admitted that the fear of “age-shaming” played a part in his hesitance to investigate further.
“The White House and the people around Joe Biden were absolutely adamant that suggesting anything — asking the question about whether he was in some physical, mental or both decline, was offensive,” Cillizza said.
“‘How could you? It’s age-shaming.’ And I think that impacted me at some level.”
While Cillizza said he occasionally raised the question, he also admitted that he didn’t “push on it” as much as he should have.
The political pundit also acknowledges that after leaving CNN, Biden’s age became more of an issue, and he started questioning the president’s ability.
“Once it became a little bit more clear to me about Biden’s age, I think I did write pretty regularly and talk pretty regularly about how I wasn’t sure that this guy was up to it,” he said.
“And then obviously, after the June 27 debate, everybody, including me, was writing and talking about it.”
The debate, which raised questions about Biden’s ability, led Democratic figures, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, to encourage him to step aside and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris, who later lost the presidential election to Donald Trump.
Reflecting further, Cillizza acknowledged, “I probably should’ve pushed harder on the Biden age stuff because, in retrospect, it’s clear that the people close to him knew that at best, he had some good days and some bad days.”
He further added that the poor performance at the June 27 debate made it evident that Biden’s health was a concern, raising questions about when his close aides were aware of the extent of his decline.
“When did people near him know, what did they know, and why did they not share?” Cillizza questioned.
