Former President Joe Biden made a lighthearted remark on Friday in response to growing scrutiny over his mental fitness, joking that he could “beat the hell out of” those questioning his cognitive abilities. His comments came during his first public appearance since revealing his recent prostate cancer diagnosis.
The joke appeared to reference CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson, co-authors of the newly released book Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again. The book, published May 20, alleges Biden struggled with coherent speech during campaign video shoots, that Cabinet meetings were overly scripted, and that efforts were made to conceal the true extent of his mental decline.
Biden addressed the issue with sarcasm after attending a Memorial Day event, telling reporters, “You can see that I’m mentally incompetent, I can’t walk,” before adding, “And I could beat the hell out of both of them.”
His team has strongly denied the book’s claims. In a statement to Fox News Digital, a Biden spokesperson said the book contains no evidence of job performance failures or threats to national security, nor does it prove any alleged cover-up. “Joe Biden was an effective President who led our country with empathy and skill,” the spokesperson stated.
In addition to the book, recently leaked audio from Biden’s October 2023 interview with former Special Counsel Robert Hur reignited concerns about his memory, as he appeared to slur his speech and struggled to recall the year his son died.
On May 18, Biden disclosed that he has an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer. His office confirmed that he had not received the diagnosis before and is currently being treated with a pill. “I’m optimistic,” Biden told reporters, adding, “My expectation is we’re going to be able to beat this.”
Earlier that day, Biden participated in a Memorial Day ceremony hosted by the Delaware Commission of Veteran Affairs. Honoring fallen service members, he said, “We come together and remember the debt we owe to the American military,” and praised their role as the “spine of our nation.” Highlighting that only 1% of Americans serve in the military, he emphasized, “We owe them so much more than we can ever repay.”
