As is obvious to everyone who watched it, President Joe Biden's impromptu address to the nation Thursday night was an unmitigated disaster. He was late (as usual), immediately lied about what Special Counsel Robert Hur's report found, exhibited memory issues, indignantly responded to press questions, looked like a deer in headlights when the cacophony of press questions got a little loud, and confused Egypt and Mexico when answering a question about Gaza.
The only people disagreeing with this so far is CNN's Van Jones, who told Anderson Cooper that "This was not Joe Biden at his best" before pivoting to rant about Donald Trump, and any potential Democrat challengers.
Ambitious Democrats watching that Biden press conference pic.twitter.com/QrOvPbj1mI
— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) February 9, 2024
While all of us would have known ahead of time that this address - or at least the way it was handled, with Biden taking questions - would be a disaster, it seems that Biden's staff was feeling pretty good about this tactic.
— Andrew Bates (@AndrewJBates46) February 9, 2024
Pyotr Kurzin, a specialist for Amnesty International, said:
I cannot in all good conscience support someone when they act they this in a press conference. Esp the US President.
— Pyotr Kurzin (@PKurzin) February 9, 2024
Biden's obvious cognitive deficiencies have concerned many of us for a long time, but to have it documented by a Special Counsel report had to have been even more unnerving for those in the military or intelligence community, whose lives are at heightened risk due to this, and for veterans. USAF veteran Patrick Fox said:
Watching the Presidents press conference in real time, responding to the special prosecutor’s report alleging cognitive decline. This was the worst possible moment to confuse Egypt with Mexico while answering a question on Gaza.
— Patrick Fox (@RealCynicalFox) February 9, 2024
Combat veteran Sean Parnell said:
Biden is totally gone. Mentally just gone.
— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellUSA) February 9, 2024
The American People saw it tonight.
He’s done.
Our allies saw this. So did our enemies.
This is an emergency for America. Legitimately an emergency.
Who the hell is running our country because it’s not Biden?!
For members of the media, the failed speech was a sign that those who are really running this country have decided it's time for Biden to go.
The corporate media got their signal.
— Breanna Morello (@BreannaMorello) February 9, 2024
Someone wants Joe Biden gone.
Poor Andrew Bates. He was still on Twitter/X defending his boss, but with the same tone-deafness displayed in the press conference.
.@POTUS: "There's even reference that I don't remember when my son died."
— Andrew Bates (@AndrewJBates46) February 9, 2024
"How in the hell dare he raise that?"
"Frankly, when I was asked the question, I thought to myself, it wasn't any of their damned business." pic.twitter.com/4vLr71HeFx
Speaker Mike Johnson's take is potentially the most important, though.
The President’s press conference this evening further confirmed on live television what the Special Counsel report outlined.
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) February 9, 2024
He is not fit to be President.
Let the impeachment proceedings begin.
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