Biden campaign co-chair Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., is defending President Biden’s cognitive health after 45 sources told the Wall Street Journal that he is showing signs of decline behind closed doors.
The Wall Street Journal spoke to 45 lawmakers and officials from the administration over the course of several months about the president's mental performance. Republicans were most critical of Biden's mental acuity, while several Democrats admitted he showed his age in some interviews.
"The story that you're talking about on the Wall Street Journal was written by reporters I know and respect and published in a paper that I read and respect, but look, even the most talented among us occasionally swing and strike out," Coons told "The Story" on Wednesday.
"Bryce Harper even strikes out now and again, and I think they got this wrong because they didn't use quotes from those of us who serve with President Biden, who know him, who have had the opportunity up-close-and-personal in meetings in the White House or in events publicly or privately, to give affirmation that he is sharp, he is engaged, and he is commanding."
The Democratic lawmaker said there has been lots of media coverage surrounding the president's "minor slips," which reflect that Americans with "demanding lives in public service sometimes misspeak."
"I am struck at how little coverage there is of the yawning gap between President Biden and former President Trump, who also has frequent missteps, where he misidentifies who he's talking to or what he's talking about or says things that are fundamentally untrue," Coons said. "The bigger gap to me is in their character, in their values and what they say about American veterans, about the choices they lay out for how they would govern if elected, and about how they've demonstrated respect for the rule of law, and an understanding of the importance of the very democracy that the veterans of D-Day fought for."
Coons, who was part of a bipartisan delegation that traveled to Taiwan and Singapore, said President Biden has been "a very strong leader in pulling together stronger and more capable partnerships with [U.S.] allies."
The senator reflected on the sacrifices made by Americans and allies in World War II, saying his visit to the Manila cemetery was a "somber moment."
