Biden’s debate disaster led his top aides to fight over if he should quit 2024 race: House report

WASHINGTON, DC: A bombshell House Oversight Committee report has revealed explosive behind-the-scenes turmoil inside Joe Biden’s inner circle following his disastrous debate performance against President Donald Trump on June 27, 2024.

The newly released report paints a picture of deep division, with top White House officials allegedly urging Biden to reconsider his reelection bid amid growing alarm over his mental sharpness.

Former Biden advisers split over his future after debate collapse

Former Chief of Staff Jeff Zients told investigators that he privately suggested Biden should consider dropping out within days of the debate, even as others in the administration fought to keep him in the race.

“It is fair to say within a few days after the debate, he was aware of my view that I thought it was prudent to consider getting out of the race,” Zients told the committee. While stressing that he believed Biden was capable of governing, Zients said he doubted the president could defeat Trump in November, especially as concerns over his cognitive fitness reached a boiling point.

According to Zients, then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, and Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough also expressed private doubts about Biden’s chances of victory. “The fact of the matter was that President Biden was underwater across his administration, the caucus, donors, and the American people,” the GOP-led report said.

Zients also acknowledged that Biden’s memory lapses had become more frequent over time. “He might have that challenge more than others,” Zients said. “And I would say, like the stumbling over words, I’d say there’s been some trend of that being more common across time.”

Biden loyalists urged him to stay the course despite panic

Not everyone agreed that Biden should bow out. Senior adviser Mike Donilon and counselor Steve Ricchetti reportedly insisted that the president stay in the race, arguing the debate was only a temporary setback. Communications strategist Anita Dunn shared concerns about Biden’s electability but remained hopeful.

“She was worried about whether he could win re-election,” Zients said. “But I don’t recall, in fact, I’d be very surprised if there was any absolute statement that he can’t, because she believed he could.”

Amid the internal rift, advisers debated how to restore public confidence, agreeing that Biden needed to appear more in public to combat the growing perception that he was unfit for office.

“The plan was about, ‘How do we get him out there more?’” Zients recalled.

A few hard-core Biden loyalists insisted the debate was nothing more than a surmountable bad night.

Ultimately, Biden announced on July 21, 2024, just three and a half weeks after the CNN debate, that he would suspend his campaign, marking the end of his reelection bid.

House report raises new concerns over Biden’s fitness and transparency

The House Oversight Committee’s findings also touched on Biden’s use of an autopen to sign official documents, questioning whether the practice reflected his physical and mental decline.

Three senior aides, Deputy Chief of Staff Annie Tomasini, White House physician Dr Kevin O’Connor, and First Lady Jill Biden’s Chief of Staff Anthony Bernal invoked their Fifth Amendment rights, refusing to answer key questions about Biden’s cognitive state.

The committee further recommended that Dr O’Connor face investigation by the DC Board of Medicine for his alleged role in a coordinated cover-up of the 46th president’s decline.