CNN
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President Joe Biden told a meeting with Democratic governors at the White House on Wednesday that as part of his plans going forward, he will stop scheduling events after 8 p.m. to allow for more sleep, according to three sources briefed on the president’s comments.
The comments, first reported by The New York Times, came as Biden, 81, sought to reassure state leaders of more than two dozen states of his ability to defeat former President Donald Trump in November and govern effectively for the next four years.
01:37 – Source: CNN
‘That was inappropriate’: Jean-Pierre reacts to White House press conference remarks
Biden’s comments upset several governors in the room, people familiar with the matter told CNN, which was one reason why some in attendance were angered by a statement of loyalty and enthusiasm from governors that the Biden campaign circulated on Thursday.
The White House did not immediately comment on the president’s remarks. Biden campaign aides argued that Biden had been preparing for the debate in the week following two European trips and had been working hours of official business in addition to campaigning.
“President (George W.) Bush went to bed at 9 o’clock and President (Barack) Obama cooked dinner at 6:30,” said Kevin Munoz, a spokesman for the Biden campaign. “Normal presidents have a balance, and Joe Biden does too, but he’s not as strict as Donald Trump. He spends half his day ranting on Truth Social about his plans to bring about a recession and the other half playing golf.”
Biden also joked to the governors, “I’m OK, but I don’t know what’s going on with my brain,” which didn’t go over well. Biden’s campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said the president “was clearly joking, but then he said, ‘No kidding.'”
Following Biden’s poor performance in last week’s CNN presidential debate, some Democrats have begun calling for the president to drop out of the race, leaving the White House scrambling to persuade skeptics within the party and among voters. In the days since, administration officials have offered confusing and contradictory explanations, trying to misrepresent a performance that exacerbated voter concerns about Biden’s age.
After the meeting, Governors Wes Moore of Maryland, Kathy Hockle of New York and Tim Walz of Minnesota spoke positively about the meeting at a press conference, adding that Biden was “fully committed” and “doing it to win.”
Responding to reporters’ questions, Walz dismissed concerns about Biden’s age and health and said the president is “fit for the job.”
Campaigning for Biden in South Haven, Michigan on Thursday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who attended the rally, told CNN that Biden’s acknowledgment of fatigue shows he’s “human” and that he feels people are over-informed about his comments.
“Look at his schedule, look at the invisible fundraising activity. All the work he’s doing behind the scenes, the calls he’s making in the middle of the night. The management of the alliance, all the preparations he’s doing for NATO this week, what they’re doing to get the agreement done with Hamas and Israel,” Newsom said.
Biden, the oldest president in U.S. history, has long faced questions about his age and health, which came to a head during the debate when Biden’s voice sounded raspy and sometimes inaudible, and Trump, just three years Biden’s junior, appeared to be in better health. A CNN poll found that the majority of debate viewers saw the showdown as a win for the former president.
And Biden’s debate performance opened the door to further scrutiny and reporting about the president’s health, with sources saying his mental state was declining.
The New York Times reported earlier this week that the president’s “gaffes” were increasing and becoming more worrying, and sources at the paper said preparations for Biden’s six days of debates at Camp David were not starting before 11 a.m. and that the president was given time to take a nap each day.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, speaking at a press conference on Wednesday following the New York Times report, avoided answering a question about whether the president takes a daily afternoon nap, but she cited jet lag and travel fatigue as reasons for Biden’s poor debate performance, which she had previously blamed on a cold.
Amid growing pressure for him to consider dropping out of the race and concerns over whether he will be able to serve another term, CNN previously reported that Biden has privately indicated the next few days will be key to whether he can defend his reelection.
This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN’s Kahnita Iyer, Jack Forrest, MJ Lee and Betsy Klein contributed to this report.
