Democrats Confront Biden’s Cognitive Health Crisis Amid 2024 Election Fallout

Democrats are grappling with tough questions about President Joe Biden’s cognitive health during his final years in office, a debate reignited by a new book and leaked audio. Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, a potential 2028 presidential contender, admitted on NBC’s Meet the Press that it was a 'mistake' to let the then-81-year-old Biden stay on the 2024 ballot too long. 'The American public wanted someone new,' Murphy said, reflecting on voters’ clear demand for change.

Yet, not all Democrats agree. Rep. James Clyburn, a staunch Biden ally, insisted on CNN’s State of the Union that he 'never saw anything' suggesting Biden couldn’t lead. This divide highlights a broader struggle within the party: balancing loyalty to Biden with the reality of public perception.

The firestorm intensified with Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, a book alleging a White House cover-up of Biden’s mental decline. Leaked 2023 audio from an interview with special counsel Robert Hur, where Biden appears to struggle with memory, adds fuel. Hur’s report, which described Biden as an 'elderly man with a poor memory,' sparked controversy last year when he declined to charge Biden over mishandled classified documents.

Pete Buttigieg, former Transportation Secretary and another 2028 hopeful, faced direct questions in Iowa about Biden’s mental acuity. 'Every time I needed something, I got it,' he said, but conceded that, in hindsight, Biden’s re-election bid may have hurt the party. Rep. Ro Khanna, a vocal Biden supporter, echoed this, calling for honesty: 'Biden should not have run. We needed an open primary.'

Biden’s recent diagnosis of aggressive prostate cancer, which has spread to his bones, adds a somber note to the discourse. His withdrawal from the 2024 race last July, after a disastrous debate with Donald Trump, led to Kamala Harris taking the Democratic ticket—only to lose to Trump in November. Democrats also lost the Senate and failed to reclaim the House.

As the party looks to 2028, these questions test the candor of its leaders. Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan’s governor and another potential candidate, admitted on CNN that recent revelations make her question what she thought she knew. With midterm elections looming in 2026, Republicans are already capitalizing, accusing Democrats of a 'political cover-up.' The truth, and how Democrats address it, will shape their future.