Press conference gaffe fails to aid Joe Biden’s dementia denial, fitness for office

In a hastily-arranged press conference, President Joe Biden vehemently defended his cognitive abilities against claims of decline, sparked by a Justice Department report. Despite highlighting his son's death and addressing Middle East conflicts, a gaffe misidentifying Egyptian President El-Sisi fuelled critics' arguments. Allies decried media spectacle, but the irony of Biden's mistake intensified concerns over his age and capability. Amid accusations of mishandling classified material, Biden insisted on his competence, rejecting the report's portrayal of him as an "elderly man with a poor memory." The incident further fuelled the debate on his fitness for office.

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By Akayla Gardner

President Joe Biden forcefully — and at times angrily — sought to combat suggestions his acuity was declining in a hastily-arranged press conference Thursday night.

But the 81-year-old leader may have made his biggest election-year liability worse.

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