On CBS’s *Face the Nation*, chief legal correspondent Jan Crawford declared Joe Biden’s cognitive decline the most underreported story of 2024. This assessment, made during a year-end panel discussion, followed moderator Major Garrett’s request for reporters to identify overlooked issues. Crawford specifically cited Biden’s performance in the June presidential debate, describing his confused demeanor as undeniable evidence of decline that ultimately led to his withdrawal from the race in favor of Kamala Harris.
Crawford sharply criticized her fellow journalists for failing to adequately investigate Biden’s fitness for office earlier, arguing that a more forceful examination could have prompted a Democratic primary and altered the election’s trajectory. She expressed disbelief at a recent *Washington Post* profile suggesting Biden regretted withdrawing and believed he could have defeated Trump, labeling this either delusional or a form of gaslighting the American public.
This self-reflection within the US media regarding its handling of Biden’s perceived decline is not new. Months after the debate, White House press corps members acknowledged facing significant pushback from the administration when questioning Biden’s physical and cognitive abilities. One journalist even reported being “blackballed” from White House briefings after raising the issue years prior.
Crawford, a journalism professor at American University, pointed to a *Wall Street Journal* report detailing how Biden’s advisors actively limited access to him as his abilities diminished throughout his presidency. This report, published just before Christmas, revealed that Biden wasn’t consulting his own pollsters, who instead sent data to senior campaign staff without evidence that Biden himself reviewed it. This is particularly significant given Biden’s reported belief that he could have won the election. The *Journal* also described how press aides were instructed to exclude negative reports from briefings prepared for the president.
The lack of access extended beyond the press. Senior Democrats in Congress, including Adam Smith, who was among the first to call for Biden’s withdrawal after the debate, reported difficulty communicating with the president. Smith specifically noted his inability to reach Biden regarding concerns about the Afghanistan withdrawal, a stark contrast to his access to President Obama during his tenure. The *Wall Street Journal* report, published over three weeks before the Atlanta debate, detailing evidence of Biden’s cognitive decline, was met with an angry response from the White House, which criticized its reliance on Republican and anonymous sources.