You often hear people say that when they listen to an old speech or debate clip of President Biden, it’s startling.
Age slows down most people, but remember his team and his closest allies want you to believe he’s still the same old Joe – so quick on his feet and in his thoughts that even much younger staffers can’t keep up with him. Sure, Jan.
So, we decided to go back and compile some old clips. We thought it might be interesting for you. Because even as of the 2020 election cycle, he sounded very, very different.
The first clip is from 1993. Then-Sen. Biden was on the Senate floor giving one of his most impassioned speeches. He was about 49. Interestingly, the topic was about the Senate’s ‘tough on crime’ bill that was eventually signed into law by President Bill Clinton. Mr. Biden warned of “predators on our streets” and worried openly about his family’s safety.
Obviously, the startling change there is not solely related to how robust Biden sounded.
Fast forward 19 years to the 2012 election when then-Vice President Biden took part in a debate against Mitt Romney’s running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI). He was quick on his feet in this exchange.
Despite Paul Ryan being nearly 30 years younger than Joe Biden, one headline the next day read “Joe Biden’s alpha male display leaves Paul Ryan overwhelmed.” That’s a little much, but okay.
Four years later, a 72-year-old Vice President Biden went to bat for Hillary Clinton in her race against Donald Trump. He gave one speech with a rousing call to action.
That was eight years ago.
Then came 2020. During the Democratic primary race, Julián Castro and Sen. Cory Booker gingerly questioned Mr. Biden’s mental acuity. But both ultimately went on to endorse him. On the debate stage with then-President Donald Trump, Biden had some notable sparring moments.
There are many reasons why, if both men are their party’s prospective nominees, we will not see a debate like that later this year. But one of the reasons is certainly Biden’s facility with words and ideas. From the very beginning of his presidency, it was obvious he was in rapid decline.
In 2022, he called out during a speech for a congresswoman who had died a month earlier in a car crash and seemed to almost malfunction at other times.
Fast forward to present day, and the President has, at times, been completely incoherent during not one but several recent speeches.
It’s sad. It feels wrong. We’ve butted some of the sound bites together so you can hear the decline over the years in quick succession, which we think brings it home.
I take no joy in offering this up. I don’t think it’s funny. I am alarmed. I’m sad for him. If I were married to him, I would say, ‘Honey, it’s time we exit stage left.’ I don’t know how on earth he is going to make it another nine months – let alone another five years – in this office.
You can check out Megyn’s full analysis by tuning in to episode 720 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.