'They should be arrested': Outrage as report claims White House scripted cabinet officials' questions before meeting with Joe Biden

WASHINGTON, DC: Recent reports have revealed a highly orchestrated approach to President Joe  Biden's interactions with his Cabinet members, raising questions about the authenticity of these engagements.

The scrutiny comes amid ongoing concerns over Biden's cognitive abilities and his administration's handling of presidential interactions.

Scripted interactions and scheduled meetings by Joe Biden cabinet 

President Biden's Cabinet meetings have been characterized as highly scripted affairs, with detailed briefing sessions conducted beforehand. According to sources, these meetings are choreographed to the extent that Cabinet secretaries are briefed on anticipated questions and discussion points well in advance.

“The entire display is kind of an act,” one source told CNN. “They would come and say, ‘Hey, the president is going to call on you about 25 minutes in and ask this question. What are the bullet points you’ll respond with?’”

Despite the structured nature of these interactions, concerns have been raised about the infrequency of full Cabinet meetings. The last convened meeting of Biden's full Cabinet occurred in October 2023, nearly nine months ago.

The lack of regular face-to-face meetings has left some Cabinet members uncertain about the president's current health status and cognitive performance.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, drawing on his experience under both the Obama and Biden administrations, defended the pre-planned nature of Cabinet meetings as standard practice.

“This is standard practice for any administration," he said. “There should not be surprises in Cabinet meetings, be it under President Obama or President Biden. If a Cabinet member has a question, you should let people know you’re going to ask it.”

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, not a Cabinet member but nominated by the president, noted the infrequency of his meetings with Biden. “Any president calls, you come and you meet,” Powell said. “But that hasn’t happened.”

“There can go by long periods of time when the Fed chair doesn’t meet with the president and that’s totally fine," Powell added.

Former officials, such as Ray LaHood from the Obama administration, have previously told the New York Times that Cabinet meetings as somewhat staged for public consumption. However, reports suggest that the level of scripting seen in Biden's administration may be more pronounced than in previous administrations.

In response to criticisms, a White House official underscored the efficiency and logistical benefits of pre-scripting interactions.

“Since there is a lot of interagency effort and work on overlapping subjects, Cabinet Affairs coordinates in advance with speakers so that they know what each Cabinet Member may speak about in order to avoid duplicate briefings and redundancy,” the official said. “That information helps the Cabinet Affairs team keep meetings efficient and make sure the right breadth of topics are discussed. This is normal under different administrations.”

The structured nature of Biden's interactions has not gone unnoticed by political observers and commentators. Some Democrats have expressed unease, with leaks suggesting concerns over the president's cognitive abilities and his performance in public settings, such as debates and press conferences.

“There’s this general sense of just, unbelievable holding your breath every time he does an event, every time he’s with people,” one Democrat close to those in Biden’s inner circle told the outlet. “This is going to get worse.”

President Biden and his allies have vehemently defended his cognitive sharpness, with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen affirming his effectiveness in the meetings she has attended. “The president is extremely effective in the meetings that I’ve been in with him,” she said. 

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas touted the president’s sharpness and focus. “The most difficult part about a meeting with President Biden is preparing for it because he is sharp, intensely probing and detail-oriented and focused,” he told.

Joe Biden trolled on social media over scripted interactions

The revelations about scripted interactions have sparked a quite a backlash against Biden on social media.

"Found the collusion," one posted on X.

"Like the tyrants that they are," another fumed.

"Lol they knew this dude isn't all there," someone else quipped.

"Yellen is just as dumb as Biden," read a comment.

"What a travesty has been played on the US. They should be arrested. I'm disgusted," another chimed in.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.