RFK Jr. Breaks Silence on the Public’s Right to Question Biden’s Mental Fitness

By Adam Garrie, The Kennedy Beacon

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. directly confronted President Biden’s mental fitness for the first time. In an interview on February 8 with Chris Cuomo on NewsNation, Kennedy said: “I think we’ve reached a time where it’s no longer character assassination to ask legitimate questions about the president’s competency…. There are so many decisions that require nuance, that require complex levels of thinking and … those kind of issues are coming at you many times a day. The American people have a right to understand whether their president is capable of making those decisions.”

Kennedy continued, “There are entrenched interests and special interests in government that actually benefit from having a president who is not completely competent. Their power increases as a president’s cognitive power decreases.… I’m glad he [Biden] stood up there and answered these questions today. I think he needs to participate in the debate so that everybody can judge him. I don’t think either in the Trump case or President Biden’s case that a court or the Justice Department … ought to be able to make those decisions about his competency. But I think that is a choice for the American people and the President should respect the American people and respect our stature around the world by coming out and having a vigorous debate about this and other issues.” 

When asked if the president’s ability to handle the job is one of Kennedy’s motivations for challenging the incumbent, Kennedy replied, “I have larger reasons to run other than that, because I don’t think the choices that are being made are good choices for our country. I think we’ve become untethered from some of our values. I think the Democratic Party has become the party of war; it’s become the party of censorship. It’s become a party that is now at war with its traditional constituency, which is the American working class, the American middle class. Those are the concerns that really drove me to make this decision.”

Kennedy further told Cuomo, “My complaint about what’s happening in the White House, Chris, is that it’s become the sock puppet for these large industries, the big hedge funds, BlackRock, State Street, Vanguard, who give equally to the Republican and Democratic Party, and now are just comfortable calling the shots. I think we need to have a president who is able to make judgments, and particularly the judgment about war. He may receive a phone call at three o’clock in the morning, and your children’s lives are at stake in that phone call … and we want to make sure that the person who is answering that call has a subtlety and flexibility of mind to make the best decision possible for our people.”

Although many have questioned the condition of the president’s mental faculties throughout much of his term, Kennedy had previously refrained from offering a view on the matter, focusing instead on his profound disagreements with the administration’s policies and its handling of domestic and international crises.

What Changed Kennedy’s Mind?

Kennedy began to question the president’s cognition hours after Special Counsel Robert Hur released his report on allegations that Biden mishandled classified materials. This followed an FBI investigation which discovered a trove of documents haphazardly stored in the garage and other areas of the president’s Wilmington, Delaware, residence. 

Hur concluded that Biden improperly handled classified documents, including those marked “top secret.” The special counsel also found that Biden “willfully retained and disclosed classified materials.” However, Hur determined that Biden should not face criminal charges related to these activities, due to an absence of willful intent. More damningly, Hur cited Biden’s severe age-related memory loss as a justification for not prosecuting the president. 

Hur’s report indicates that while Biden suffered from memory problems in 2017, his condition declined between then and 2023. According to the report, “Mr. Biden’s memory was significantly limited, both during his recorded interviews with the ghostwriter in 2017, and in his interview with our office in 2023.” Hur added, “We have also considered that, at trial, Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” 

The report further revealed that in the president’s 2023 interview with the special counsel’s office, Biden frequently forgot the dates of his vice presidential term in the Obama administration, while also forgetting the date of his son Beau Biden’s death. 

Biden’s Press Conference 

Hours after Hur’s report was released, the president held a press conference to address its findings. While Biden welcomed the decision not to press charges, he angrily refuted Hur’s characterization of him as a senior citizen with severe memory problems. However, the press conference was most notable for its awkward moments.

When a reporter asked if memory problems prohibit the president from executing his duties, Biden uncomfortably replied, “My memory is so bad I let you speak.” After taking several other questions, Biden walked away before slowly walking back to the lectern to address questions on the crisis in the MIddle East. At this juncture, Biden referred to Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as the “president of Mexico.” Biden departed shortly thereafter. 

This was the third time in less than a week that Biden suffered from confusion over the names and titles of world leaders. Days earlier, as reported by Reuters, Biden recalled a 2021 “conversation” he had with German chancellor Helmut Kohl, who left office in 1998 and died in 2017. This came days after he recalled a 2021 “conversation” he held with French president François Mitterrand, who left office in 1995 and died in 1996. 

Adam Garrie is a writer, speaker, and consultant on a wide range of current affairs as well as political risk. He is also the cofounder of HiCyrus, a data-driven tech startup that aims to fully democratize information access.