The very first moment that revealed Biden was never fit to be president
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Alarming revelations about Joe Biden's decline have raised questions about how long the president was impaired while leading the country and how long his staff, close advisors, and family were covering up the truth. Concerns about Biden's age had already begun when he announced his 2020 campaign at the age of 77.
![[U.S. President Joe Biden pauses and grips his folder while listening to a question from a reporter]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/21/14/47183397-14215279-U_S_President_Joe_Biden_pauses_and_grips_his_folder_while_listen-a-23_1734792829539.jpg)
Democrats groaned as the former vice president struggled through primary debates, frequently stumbling over talking points while mixing up his sentences. At the time, the most favorable interpretation was that it was just 'Biden being Biden' - he was the affable gaffe-ridden politician who struggled from early youth with a stutter.
![[Joe Biden slips three times as he climbs stairs to Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/21/14/93365821-14215279-Joe_Biden_slips_three_times_as_he_climbs_stairs_to_Air_Force_One-a-24_1734792829547.jpg)
When the coronavirus pandemic took place during the general election, Biden's staffers almost breathed a sigh of relief when the president was no longer expected to campaign publicly, risking slip-ups and errors. Instead, he was quarantined in his family basement where he could be trusted to deliver short scripted speeches and tightly controlled remote video interviews over Zoom.
![[President Joe Biden delivers a speech marking the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/21/14/93367685-14215279-President_Joe_Biden_delivers_a_speech_marking_the_one_year_anniv-a-19_1734792829376.jpg)
Despite some concerns about his age, the public saw Biden successfully perform during the 2020 presidential debates as he rhetorically tangled with Donald Trump on two occasions about the future of the country. Biden won the presidency in 2020, but he was still protected in a closely watched cocoon of staff as the pandemic raged and his public and media appliances were limited and carefully scripted.
![['He's fine,' White House Communications Director Ben LaBolt tweeted afterward. 'There was a sandbag (seen left) on stage while he was shaking hands.']](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/21/14/71669991-14215279-_He_s_fine_White_House_Communications_Director_Ben_LaBolt_tweete-a-20_1734792829377.jpg)
