President Joe Biden's three closest advisers have been aggressively managing his public appearances and interactions with lawmakers, donors, and even White House staff in an effort to minimize the exposure to his struggles with aging, The Wall Street Journal reported.
In the report published Monday, the Journal identified Anita Dunn, Steve Ricchetti, and Mike Donilon as the three who have for the past year stage-managed Biden, his schedule, and his myriad public remarks — keeping them short and scripted — to keep the toll of his aging behind closed doors and restricted to a small circle of top aides.
Two other aides — Annie Tomasini and Anthony Bernal — also act as gatekeepers to Biden, according to the Journal.
Their efforts, however, were laid bare June 27 during a presidential debate with presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump. Biden's performance stunned Democrats and White House staffers, who have been kept at arm's length from Biden, the Journal reported.
Now, Democrat megadonors are rethinking their support for Biden, and six House Democrats have called for Biden to drop out of the race.
Donors are also frustrated with Jeffrey Katzenberg, a Hollywood mogul and co-chair of Biden's presidential campaign, who has known Biden for decades and vouched for the president's mental faculties, according to the report. Katzenberg six weeks ago told another entertainment executive that he talks "to [Biden] all the time. He's solid. The mental acuity is there," according to WSJ.
Just as Biden's advisers select friendly media outlets who agree to scripted interviews, the Biden campaign also directs donors to submit questions in advance of fundraisers, according to the Journal.
At one such fundraiser in June 2023, Biden couldn't recall the word "veteran" and asked those in attendance for help in finding the word for a "person who had served in the Army or Navy," according to the WSJ report.
Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, told Newsmax on Monday that the debate changed the entire calculus for Biden's "puppet masters."
"They can't fake it anymore. They can't protect him anymore," she said.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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