With President Joe Biden facing calls to step aside from fellow Democrats, European officials recently came out and indicated that they’ve noticed the president’s cognitive health declining since before Thursday’s debate against former President Donald Trump.
Multiple officials in countries like Poland, Germany and Slovenia have expressed concerns about the 81-year-old president’s age and his ability to serve another four years in the White House, per the Wall Street Journal.
Such concerns come after Biden performed poorly in the debate against his predecessor, former President Donald Trump.
The president would oftentimes freeze while speaking and appear confused.
On X, European officials slammed Biden over his performance and urged the Democratic Party to replace the aging president.
A member of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany, Norbert Rottgen, said, “This night will not be forgotten. The Democrats must now change course. And Germany must prepare itself as quickly as possible for a future that is uncertain in terms of security policy. If we do not take responsibility for Europe now, no one will.”
The Wall Street Journal indicated that former Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa had “bet months ago that Biden would no longer be on the ballot” by the time the presidential election took place in November.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk shared Jansa’s sentiment, saying he expected Biden to not have difficulty in direct confrontations, such as a debate.
“I was afraid of this,” the Polish prime minister said. “It was to be expected that in a direct confrontation, in a debate, it would not be easy for the president.”
The outlet pointed out that before the debate, which has led many prominent Democrats to call for Biden to be replaced, the president had shown signs of his cognitive health weakening.
“When Biden was in France to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day in June, he stumbled. During a bilateral meeting in Paris with Zelensy, Biden spoke so softly that reporters brought in to document the meeting between the two men could not initially hear the American president. Zelensky, a non-native English speaker, could be heard clearly,” the outlet wrote.
European officials also pointed out that Biden had trouble while speaking at the European Union summit in 2022 and required assistance from Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“Officials said that Biden’s performance and focus can vary hugely between meetings and even within a meeting. Two senior European officials cited an EU-U.S. summit last October in Washington where Biden had struggled to follow the discussions. Both said that he stumbled over his talking points at several moments, requiring Secretary of State Antony Blinken to intervene and point out the lines he should use,” the Wall Street Journal said.
During his first post-debate rally in North Carolina, Biden told his supporters that he doesn’t feel as healthy as he used to but emphasized that he would not end his bid for the White House.
A Harvard Harris poll from March found that nearly 60% of Americans had concerns over Biden’s diminishing health to serve another term, while 43% felt the president was completely fine.
