Donald Trump denies noticing evidence of cognitive decline in Joe Biden after debate

WASHINGTON, DC: Donald Trump is seemingly softening his long-running attacks on Joe Biden, implying that the former president he once mocked as “Slow Joe” may not have been quite as sleepy or slow.

The President told reporters that he didn’t notice any evidence of cognitive decline in the former President when they met in November 2024 after he won the election.

Trump’s comments came as Jill Biden’s new memoir and recent interviews reopened the discussion of Biden's final year in office.

In 'View from the East Wing,' the former first lady writes that the president "lost the essence of who he was" that night, while saying no aides had raised concerns about his condition beforehand.

Trump says Biden was ‘never the sharpest guy’

The president was speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, June 4, when he was asked if, during their November 2024 Oval Office meeting, he himself had noticed a change in his predecessor.

“No, not really. He was the same guy I’ve been watching for a long time,” he said, adding, “I watched him 40 years ago, 30 years ago, never the sharpest guy. It wasn’t like he was sharp as a tack.”

“No, it was the same guy,” he said. “He was fine as far as I was concerned.” Trump went on to suggest that Biden experienced some sort of setback during their June 2024 debate, adding, “It could have been me.”

“So the question is, did he do badly because he choked? Or because he didn’t have it? But he didn’t have a good night,” he said.

When pressed again by reporters about the November 2024 meeting, Trump noted that Biden “spoke softly.”

“As we talked, we got along very well, and I thought he was fine,” he said.

Trump trolls Jill Biden over her ‘stroke’ remarks

Notably, this came after Trump blasted the former first lady after she revealed that she believed her husband was “having a stroke” during his disastrous CNN debate performance against Trump in 2024.

In a CBS News interview, Jill said she was “horrified” on the night of the debate as she watched her husband on stage in Atlanta.

“I was frightened, because I had never ever seen Joe like that before or since, never,” she said. “I mean, as I watched it, I thought, ‘Oh my god, he’s having a stroke.’”

Taking note of Jill’s comments, Trump on Truth Social said, “She said that she thought he was having a ‘stroke,’ and various other really bad things, and yet never rushed onto the stage to help her troubled husband, as any good wife would do.”

“The only thing she failed to mention was how well I was doing prior to his near-total collapse. In other words, as many have asked, did my strong performance in that debate cause him to plain and simple ‘choke,’ leading to his ignominious defeat, or were other reasons the cause?” the president wrote in his post. “Nobody else knows the answer to that, BUT I DO!!!”