Journalist who covered Biden from early career says president 'should never have sought' re-election

A retired reporter who covered President Joe Biden when he won his first U.S. Senate campaign in 1972 said Biden “should never have sought a second term” in an op-ed published Wednesday.

Biden has faced a growing number of calls stand aside as the Democratic nominee after him frozen at times and made several verbal blunders during a June 27 debate with former President Donald Trump. Retired journalist Curtis Wilkie told the op-ed published by Mississippi Today that the president should not have sought a second term because of his remarkable mental decline.

“President Biden should never have sought a second term,” Wilkie wrote. “I have an unusual perspective on this discussion that dominates American politics, considering that I have known Joe Biden longer than any journalist who has covered him. Over the years, I have witnessed how the relentless demands of the presidency have ravaged other occupants of the White House. And I share with Biden the infirmities of old age that grip us both and that have begun to diminish our physical and cognitive powers.”

Curtis Wilkie, who covered eight presidential campaigns, writes that Biden should step aside.

“I have an unusual perspective on this discussion that dominates American politics, given that I have known Joe Biden longer than any journalist who has covered him.”https://t.co/0jjTmS34GM

— Adam Ganucheau (@GanucheauAdam) July 17, 2024

“This is not a new concern of mine, brought on by the president's poor performance in last month's debate,” Wilkie continued. “I came to this conclusion during a long conversation in March 2023 with two old friends who had closer political connections to Biden than mine.”

Wilkie, who is two years older than Biden, said he has experienced similar problems that the president has displayed during public appearances.

“There started to be incidents where I couldn't find the name of someone I know well,” Wilkie wrote. “Or a simple word will hide itself, popping up hours later. When I go blank in a conversation, I apologize, laugh, and blame it on my aging brain. I'm sure it's nothing, but I find it worrying.”

“I began to notice that Biden had some of the same handicaps,” Wilkie continued. “He butchers names or doesn't remember them at all. Sometimes it looks like balm. His enthusiasm seems to have withered.”

On several occasions, Biden said he spoke to people who had died, including claiming to have spoken to the former German chancellor. Helmut Kohlwho died in 2017, and former French president Francois Mitterrand, who died in 1996, on two occasions in February. In September 2022, Biden he asked for Republican Rep. Jackie Walorski of Indiana at a conference on hunger that took place several weeks after Walorski and two staff members dead in a motor vehicle accident.

“I wish Biden had followed through on his promise in 2020 to be a 'transition president.' He had succeeded in ousting Trump from the White House. His presidency has been mostly successful and free of catastrophes,” Wilkie wrote. “Months ago, Biden could have delivered a statesman's speech, ready to serve out his four-year term and ready to leave the job to a younger generation. To leave, truly able to say, 'Mission accomplished.'

Biden has also suffered multiple downfalls during his tenure, including one at the Air Force Academy in June 2023, falling while riding his bicycle in June 2022, i stumbling to the steps of Air Force One on multiple occasions.

“Instead, his Democratic Party faces its worst nightmare, the distinct possibility of a landslide victory in November by Trump and his MAGA followers. And instead of leaving a strong personal legacy, Biden may be remembered in the story of this turbulent period as a selfish man, enfeebled by age, who clung too long to his office,” Wilkie concluded.

Latest messages from Wallace White (see everything)

We have zero tolerance for comments that contain violence, racism, profanity, profanity, doxing, or rude behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it, click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for engaging with us in a fruitful conversation.