Global Courant
The New York Times is being ridiculed on Twitter after an article on Sunday portrayed President Biden’s advanced age in a positive light, describing the 80-year-old president as “sharp”, “fit” and with “remarkable stamina”.
The Times article by White House reporters Peter Baker, Michael Shear, Katie Rogers and Zolan Kanno-Youngs entitled “Inside the Complicated Reality of Being America’s Oldest President” alleged that Biden’s aides purposely limited his exposure to the media to any potential blunders.
“The two Joe Bidens coexist in the same octogenarian president: sharp and wise at critical moments, the product of decades of seasoning, able to confront a dangerous world even in the dead of night,” said the article. “Yet a little slower, a little softer, a little harder of hearing, a little more careful in his gait, a little more prone to the occasional amnesia in ways that feel familiar to anyone who has reached the ninth century or has a parent .” who has.”
“Like many his age, Mr. Biden repeats sentences and tells the same story over and over, often factually contested stories,” the article continued. “He can be quirky; when children come to visit, he can pull a book by William Butler Yeats off his desk at random and read Irish poetry.”
President Joe Biden is helped to his feet after a fall during the graduation ceremony at the US Air Force Academy, near Colorado Springs, Colorado, on June 1, 2023. (Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)
“At the same time, he is slim and fit, he trains five days a week and he does not drink,” it added. “He has shown remarkable stamina at times, such as when he flew to Poland, then boarded a nine-hour train journey to make a secret visit to Kiev, spent hours on the ground, then endured another nine hours by train and a flight to Warsaw. A study of his calendar by Mr. Biden’s aides shows that he traveled slightly more in the first few months of his third year in office than Mr. Obama in his.”
BIDEN’S FALL AT AIR FORCE COMMENCEMENT CAUSES CONCERN, CLAIM: ‘THIS IS NOT FAIR FOR ANYONE’
Steve Guest, a special adviser on communications for Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called the article “embarrassing.”
Jon Nicosia, president of News Cycle Media, called the article “drool.”
Former Obama speechwriter Jonathan Favreau, who now co-hosts “Pod Save America,” said the article was “pretty positive.”
National Review contributor Pradheep Shanker said the article was “not entirely objective” but at the very least opened the door to questioning the president’s abilities.
“Good for the Times for actually writing this… It’s still not quite objective, but at least it’s a solid effort,” Shanker wrote. “I mean, that’s a positive spin at best. What is more likely is that many, many of the decisions at the presidential level are not made by Biden at all.”
Biden tripped and fell Thursday during a US Air Force Academy commencement ceremony, prompting three Secret Service agents to rush to help the president to his feet.
US President Joe Biden fell during the graduation ceremony at the US Air Force Academy on June 1, 2023. (Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)
President Joe Biden arrives to deliver the commencement address at the Air Force Academy on June 1, 2023. (Getty Images)
The White House said on Thursday that Biden tripped on a sandbag and was not injured by the fall.
The fall reignited concerns about Biden’s age, prompting a number of media outlets to pounce and attack Republicans who expressed concern about Biden’s physical health.
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Jessica Chasmar is a digital writer on the Fox News and Fox Business political team. Story tips can be sent to [email protected].
