US President Joe Biden was largely sheltered by his staff during his four-year termin a manner unprecedented among previous presidents, according to a report published by the Wall Street Journal today (Thursday). According to the report, which was based on interviews with about 50 people, Biden had a stronger "protective culture" around him at the start of his presidency than other presidents because he took office at the height of the coronavirus pandemic and greater efforts were made to ensure that the elderly president did not fall ill with the virus. However, this bubble around Biden remained even as the coronavirus crisis faded and as his presidency progressed. This was because Biden's staff noticed that he would become tired and more prone to mistakes if meetings lasted too long. Visitors were told to keep their meetins with Biden short and "focused" and Biden had fewer meetings with his own Cabinet members and with Democratic leaders in Congress than previous presidents. Lawmakers from Biden's own party found it unusually difficult to speak to the president. Several of Biden's senior advisers were placed as "go-betweens" for interactions that normally would have been with the president. In addition, Biden was shielded from negative new coverage, as his staff excluded such coverage from the news videos he was shown. Related articles: House probes US funding to groups tied to Israel protests Betrayal: Lipstadt's silence about Biden failure on antisemitism Trump reverses Biden’s betrayal of Israel It wasn't all Biden One witness described the "hand-holding" of Biden by stating, “They body him to such a high degree." If Biden was found to be having a "bad day," his meetings could be canceled or rescheduled for another day. The result of these developments was that White House advisers and staff played a greater role in implementing policy and interacting with Congress than in previous administrations where the president would have had more involvement and needed less management. Despite his lack of stamina, Biden still attempted to run for reelection this year. This protection continued during the campaign, as Biden no longer talked to pollsters, with many worried he was not being told the truth about how bad his poll numbers were. His hopes for a second term were dashed following his disastrous debate with Donald Trump in June, 2024, which allowed millions of Americans to witness the decline his people had attempted to hide during his presidency, Biden dropped out of the race shortly afterward and his Vice President, Kamala Harris, became the new Democratic nominee.
