'He was out of it:' Top Biden aide blames WH staffers for debate performance

Former President Biden's Chief of Staff Ron Klain has attributed Biden's poor debate performance

against then-candidate Donald Trump last summer to a lack of focus, not by Biden, but by his senior

aides. Klain, a close ally and supporter of Biden, was interviewed by author Chris Whipple

and is the subject of Whipple's latest book out next week. Klain, a close ally and supporter of

Biden was interviewed by author Chris Whipple and is the subject of Whipple's latest book out

next week. Excerpts were given to The Guardian, but Klain is clarifying some of his statements

saying the news outlet framed the facts wrong. In Whipple's upcoming book, Uncharted

How Trump Beat Biden, Harris, and the Odds in the Wildest Campaign in History

Klain described Biden's debate prep as he was brought back on to assist Biden for the debate

after serving as his chief of staff from 2021 to 2023 Klain expressed concern over Biden preparedness In his story previewing excerpts from the book The Guardian wrote in a new book Joe Biden former White House chief of

staff paints a devastating picture of the then U.S. president's mental and physical state

before the debate with Donald Trump that sent his 2024 campaign into a tailspin

25 minutes into the second mock debate, the president was done for the day

I'm just too tired to continue, and I'm afraid of losing my voice here, and I feel bad, he said

I just need some sleep. I'll be fine tomorrow. He went off to bed

The president was fatigued, befuddled, and disengaged, Whipple writes. Klain feared the debate with Trump would be a nationally televised disaster. It was

However, Klain tells Politico he feels like the framing is wrong. Clarifying his remarks were not about Biden's mental capacity, but his staff's negligence

Politico wrote I think the framing is wrong Ron Klain said over text after the Guardian described him as painting a devastating picture of Biden mental and physical state in an interview for

a forthcoming book. My point wasn't that the president lacked mental acuity. He was out of

it because he had been sidelined, not because he lacked capacity. He had been isolated from

domestic politics by a White House team unplugged from Hill Dems, Klain said via text, allowing

Biden, who at the time was managing U.S. involvement in two foreign wars, to become solely focused

on foreign affairs. Klain did not specify which of Biden's close aides he held responsible for

those failings. Klain told Whipple he still believes Biden should have stayed in the presidential race

following the June debate. Klain argued Biden could have governed effectively for another four

years. In an interview with Politico previewing his book's release, Whipple said

I have fresh reporting on an hour by hour day by day basis of Biden final days And obviously his decline is a major part of the story I happen to think that to call it a cover is simplistic I think it was

stranger and way more troubling than that. Biden's inner circle, his closest advisers

many of them were in a fog of delusion and denial. They believed what they wanted to believe

Biden's campaign has not publicly commented on the claims, but he is reportedly planning his own book

Whipple's book adds to the growing body of work yzing the historic 2024 election

Earlier this week, we told you about a book written by NBC reporter Jonathan Allen and The Hill's Amy Parnes

which also offers insight into the Biden campaign and the moment of transition in the Democratic Party

where Biden bowed out and Kamala Harris became the nominee. You can find our earlier report by downloading the Straight Arrow News mobile app or find us online at san.com