On Monday night’s episode of CNN’s The Arena, longtime Democrat Congressman James Clyburn (D-SC) was pressed about the elephant in the room — the visible mental and physical decline of President Joe Biden. But instead of offering a straight answer, Clyburn chose to sidestep the concern entirely, saying he’s not qualified to evaluate Biden’s condition.
“I was not around Joe Biden enough to tell you anything about his decline,” Clyburn said, brushing aside the mounting worries from across the political spectrum.
That comment came in response to a growing national conversation — even among Democrats — about President Biden’s obvious struggles with speech, memory, and stamina as he seeks another four years in the White House at the age of 82.
Despite dodging the health question, Clyburn went out of his way to defend Biden’s record — calling him a “great president” and comparing his accomplishments to those of Lyndon B. Johnson, whose presidency included the Vietnam War and the Great Society welfare programs.
“Substantively, Joe Biden is a great president,” Clyburn insisted, claiming no Democrat since LBJ has achieved as much.
But for many Americans — especially working-class families — Biden’s record tells a different story. Soaring inflation, an open border, rising crime, and foreign policy failures like the botched Afghanistan withdrawal have led to record-low approval ratings and serious questions about his leadership.
As the discussion on CNN turned to President Biden’s age and mental fitness, Clyburn was clearly uncomfortable.
“Now, the fact of the matter is, whatever may have or may not have been the decline, I’ve never worked in the White House,” he explained.
“I talked to him on the phone a lot. I saw him at events a lot. I saw no more in his declination than I’ve seen in anybody else’s. I’m two years older than Joe Biden. I just have a different style than he has.”
Clyburn’s defense seemed more like an attempt to shift the topic rather than address the concerns that voters — and even some Democrats — have been expressing. His comments only added to the perception that top Democrats are tiptoeing around Biden’s obvious issues in order to preserve political power heading into the 2024 election.
“For us to sit here and talk about Joe Biden as if we are physicians and can make these kinds of evaluations, a lot of us are interacting with him [who] could not make an evaluation like that, and I still can’t,” Clyburn concluded.
Let’s be clear — this isn’t about being physicians. Millions of Americans don’t need a medical degree to notice the President losing his train of thought, struggling through speeches, or forgetting names and key facts. These moments have been captured on video time and again, and they’ve only become more frequent.
Yet, the Democrat establishment continues to circle the wagons. Whether it’s brushing off basic concerns or comparing Biden to past presidents, the strategy is clear: deflect, deny, and delay.
James Clyburn, one of Biden’s earliest and most vocal supporters in 2020, had a chance to level with the American people. Instead, he chose to downplay the issue and dismiss legitimate concerns about the fitness of the man currently occupying the Oval Office.
As we move closer to the 2024 election, Americans will have to decide: Do we want four more years of this — or are we ready for strong, clear-headed leadership that puts America First?
