Column: It's time to talk about the President's mental health

The mainstream media continues to ignore obvious signs that the President's cognitive abilities are declining.

Editor’s Note: This is a personal column — very personal, in fact. I alone am responsible for the content.

by Lee Williams

I first met Joe Biden when I was an investigative reporter working at a newspaper in Wilmington, Delaware.

Delaware is a small state — only three counties. You can’t operate for very long as a journalist without eventually running into Joe.

The Joe Biden I knew then was quick with a handshake and quicker with a joke. The man had charisma. I mean, he could light up a room, even for someone like me who disagreed with him politically about 1,000 percent. He was engaging and warm, and he had the seasoned politician’s skill of making everyone believe he really cared about them and wanted to make their lives better.

To be clear, the Joe Biden I saw holding a press conference Wednesday, talking about nukes and F-15s, is not the Joe Biden I knew. He has become a shell of his former self.

The President had trouble simply reading from the teleprompter. He slurred his words, which is extremely alarming. Every single time he tried to speak extemporaneously without the prompter, he couldn’t complete a single sentence — not a one.

The mainstream media tried to downplay Joe’s poor performance by reporting that he was “tired.” While I’m certainly no doctor, I don’t think you need an M.D. behind your name to see that the problem is far more serious than lack of sleep. Besides, it’s happening far too often — nearly every time he walks up to a mic. There is something seriously wrong with the President’s cognitive abilities, regardless of the top cover the media is providing. It makes me wonder who is actually running the show.

The President himself has alluded to the fact he’s not in charge. He has told the White House press corps on several occasions he would “get in trouble” for taking too many questions during rare press conferences, or for calling on reporters who hadn’t been preapproved. He’s supposed to be the leader of the free world. Who could he get in trouble with?

Given his difficulty expressing himself, I have to wonder whether Joe Biden even could be in charge of the country. He can’t complete a simple sentence. This raises two very difficult questions: Who is actually in charge, and who elected them?

Someone is clearly making important decisions behind the scenes, writing down what they want Joe to say and then sending him out to read from the script, as if he’s a puppet. If he performs poorly like he did Wednesday, they know they can count on the mainstream media to ignore the obvious cognitive warning signs. This scenario should disturb you far more than any comments the President made about nuclear weapons or F-15s — our country is being run by persons unknown who were never elected to office.

My concern is for the country, not any particular President. If I am wrong about all of this, if Joe undergoes cognitive testing as he has promised and aces the test, no one will be happier than me. I truly hope that is the case. However, if I am right, the country is headed into uncharted waters with a shell of a man at the helm.

As always, thanks for your time.

Lee