House Speaker Mike Johnson was asked during his press conference why he wants to meet with Biden if he thinks the president is in cognitive decline, and he responded with a word salad.
How did Speaker Johnson defend his cognitive hypocrisy of Biden?
Johnson was asked: “You talked about the challenge posed to the President’s cognitive abilities. You said he is not fit to be president, I don’t think he can do the job. Why do you think a meeting, a face-to-face meeting with the President of the United States, would solve all these problems?”
Speaker Johnson responded: “Well, that’s a very good question, but I have to do everything I can, and he is the commander in chief at the moment, as uncomfortable as that makes most of this country, and I have to work with what I have. I have to do my job and I will insist on continuing to do it. The Republicans in the House will continue to do our job. We will continue to move the ball forward. We will continue to demand that, before we take care of the problems in all the world, we take care of our own first. I’m telling you, this is not an election message. This is the truth, and it’s what resonates in the hearts of the American people. We’re on the side of common sense, it’s on the side of security, it’s on the side of part of stability, he is on the side of sanity, and the President of the United States will not recognize that, and that is of great alarm to us.”
Johnson did not respond to the question.
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Video:
Mike Johnson can’t answer when asked whether Biden is cognitively declining why he wants a meeting with him. Johnson said: “I have to work with what I have. I have to do my job,” Johnson then stammered something more about Republicans moving balls and dodged the question. pic.twitter.com/oUyiWT3FOm
– Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) February 14, 2024
Republicans can’t have it both ways on Biden
Biden cannot be cognitively refused to become president and at the same time a mastermind who is using the presidency to stop the Republican agenda on immigration. These two things cannot exist together because they contradict each other.
The fact that Johnson failed to come up with anything resembling an answer to a very obvious question should tell the American people everything they need to know about the GOP’s claims regarding Biden’s cognitive abilities.
Republicans are failing to square the circle, which suggests that if the White House seizes the moment and puts Biden more into play, these attacks on Biden could be neutralized.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a member of the White House press pool and a congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a bachelor’s degree in political science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
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