President Joe Biden was protected by those closest to him who knew he was faltering as president, according to a report published late last week.

Citing sources, The New York Times reported that Biden’s aides saw that he was not the same as he was a few years before and that they worked to protect him as best they could.
“The people closest to President Biden were well aware that he had changed. He talked more slowly than he had just a few years before, needed to hoist himself out of his seat in the presidential limousine and walked with a halting gait,” the report began.

His longtime aide, Mike Donilon, reportedly told the president in 2022 that his “biggest issue is the perception of age.”

However, being stubborn and defensive, the president took that advice and ignored it when he announced in 2023 that he was again going to campaign for reelection before consulting his aides or his family, the Times reported.