Bill Clinton went on The View and made shocking claims about Joe Biden

Both Joe Biden and Bill Clinton are former Democrat Presidents now. They couldn’t be more different.

And Bill Clinton just went on The View and made shocking claims about Joe Biden on live TV.

Bill Clinton’s Defense of Biden’s Health Coverup Raises Eyebrows

Former President Bill Clinton’s recent media appearances to defend Joe Biden’s health during his presidency have sparked renewed scrutiny of Democratic loyalty and transparency. On The View, Clinton insisted he saw no evidence of Biden’s physical or cognitive decline during their personal meetings, pushing back against reports that have detailed a troubling pattern of deterioration.

His remarks come in the wake of Original Sin, a book by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson, which demonstrates the extent to which Biden’s inner circle concealed his frailties to bolster his 2024 reelection bid. Clinton’s defense, while steadfast, raises questions about whether loyalty to a fellow Democrat clouds his assessment of a serious lapse in public accountability.

Clinton’s comments on The View centered on his personal interactions with Biden, where he claimed the former president was sharp and engaged. “All I can say is whenever I was around him, [Biden’s] mind was clear, his judgement was good and he was on top of his brief,” Clinton said. Yet, he shifted some blame to Biden’s staff, criticizing their decision to allow an 81-year-old president to endure a grueling travel schedule before the June 27, 2024, debate—a performance so faltering it forced Biden out of the race.

Clinton questioned why staff permitted Biden to make two transatlantic trips and a California visit in quick succession, asking, “What were the White House staff thinking?” This critique sidesteps the issue of whether Biden’s team was complicit in masking deeper concerns about his capacity.

The former president also drew historical parallels, noting that cognitive or health challenges among presidents are not new. He referenced Ronald Reagan, diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 1994, and Woodrow Wilson, who suffered a debilitating stroke in 1919. By framing Biden’s struggles as part of a historical continuum, Clinton seems to downplay the gravity of the current situation, where Biden’s team actively shielded his condition from public view.

This comparison risks trivializing the deliberate efforts by Biden’s staff, cabinet, and Democratic lawmakers to obscure his decline, as detailed in Original Sin. The book reveals how aides limited Biden’s press interactions to a level unseen since Reagan’s era and took meticulous steps to prevent public missteps.

Original Sin paints a stark contrast to Clinton’s rosy recollection. The book reports that Biden’s staff, aware of his physical limitations, went to great lengths to manage his public appearances. After a fall in June 2023, Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, warned that another incident could necessitate a wheelchair.

Staff responded by clearing pathways and ensuring Biden wore specific shoes to minimize tripping risks. These measures, while practical, suggest a concerted effort to conceal the president’s vulnerabilities rather than address them transparently. Clinton’s dismissal of these accounts as inconsistent with his own observations invites skepticism about whether personal loyalty overrides objective evidence.

On CBS Sunday Morning, Clinton doubled down, asserting that Biden appeared “in good shape” during a recent encounter. “I saw President Biden not very long ago, and I thought he was in good shape, but the book didn’t register with me cause I never saw him that way,” he said. This statement glosses over the detailed accounts in Original Sin, including a jarring incident at a June 2024 fundraiser where Biden failed to recognize longtime acquaintance George Clooney. The actor, reportedly stunned by Biden’s condition, became one of many who witnessed a decline that Clinton claims to have missed.

The lengths to which Biden’s team went to manage his image are further highlighted by Dr. O’Connor’s concerns about the presidency’s toll on Biden’s health. According to Tapper and Thompson, O’Connor recommended more rest to counteract the physical and mental strain. Yet, instead of addressing these concerns publicly, Biden’s inner circle opted for damage control, limiting press conferences and escorting him away from media scrutiny. This strategy, while temporarily effective, unraveled during the June 27 debate, where Biden’s frailties were laid bare. Clinton’s defense sidesteps this calculated obfuscation, focusing instead on Biden’s supposed clarity in private settings.

The fallout from Biden’s debate performance forced Democrats to confront what many had long ignored. Congressional Democrats, who had previously dismissed concerns about Biden’s health, began urging him to exit the race, which he did in July 2024. The media, including Tapper, also faced criticism for downplaying Biden’s condition until the debate made denial untenable. Clinton’s attempt to reframe the narrative as a matter of poor scheduling rather than systemic concealment reflects a Democratic struggle to reconcile loyalty with accountability. His remarks suggest a reluctance to grapple with the ethical implications of hiding a president’s decline from the public.

Critics argue that Clinton’s defense exemplifies a partisan instinct to protect one’s own, even at the cost of transparency. By emphasizing his personal experiences with Biden, Clinton risks appearing out of touch with the documented reality of Biden’s struggles. Meanwhile, supporters might see his comments as a necessary counterbalance to what they view as exaggerated or politically motivated attacks on Biden’s legacy. The tension between these perspectives highlights a deeper issue: the challenge of balancing loyalty to a leader with the public’s right to know.

The revelations in Original Sin point to a troubling pattern of denial among Biden’s allies, from staff to lawmakers. His historical comparisons and critiques of staff decisions deflect from the core issue which is a failure to level with the American public about a president’s fitness to lead.

Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.

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