WSJ’s Annie Linskey on Biden’s Decline: ‘There Was a Hard Shell Around the President, and That Shell Just Got Thicker and Harder Over Time’

RUSH TRANSCRIPT SMERCONISH One ░░░░░░░░ awol from this week ░░░░░░░░ debate President Joe Biden ░░░░░░░░ appears to be making ░░░░░░░░ quiet exit Where was ░░░░░░░░ Even his own party ░░░░░░░░ out his absence Politico ░░░░░░░░ quote more than a ░░░░░░░░ dozen house democratic lawmakers ░░░░░░░░ on Thursday that the ░░░░░░░░ had yet to hear ░░░░░░░░ the president even as ░░░░░░░░ scrambled to salvage a ░░░░░░░░ deal and avoid shutting ░░░░░░░░ the government Well perhaps ░░░░░░░░ s part of something ░░░░░░░░ s been culminating for ░░░░░░░░ while Two of the ░░░░░░░░ s most prominent publications ░░░░░░░░ spent over 2000 words ░░░░░░░░ real estate raising questions ░░░░░░░░ how the White House ░░░░░░░░ adapted to his age ░░░░░░░░ declining energy levels while ░░░░░░░░ office The New York ░░░░░░░░ describes this moment as ░░░░░░░░ weary Biden heads for ░░░░░░░░ exit focusing on his ░░░░░░░░ to secure a legacy ░░░░░░░░ confronting the limitations of ░░░░░░░░ Meanwhile The Wall Street ░░░░░░░░ offers a deep dive ░░░░░░░░ how the White House ░░░░░░░░ with a diminished Biden ░░░░░░░░ charge detailing how meetings ░░░░░░░░ tightly controlled access limited ░░░░░░░░ staff took on heightened ░░░░░░░░ as go betweens Joining ░░░░░░░░ now on the phone ░░░░░░░░ Annie Linskey the lead ░░░░░░░░ of that Wall Street ░░░░░░░░ piece who also wrote ░░░░░░░░ the impact of Biden ░░░░░░░░ age and how his ░░░░░░░░ circle kept it under ░░░░░░░░ back in June and ░░░░░░░░ taken a lot of ░░░░░░░░ for what she wrote ░░░░░░░░ Annie from you I ░░░░░░░░ learned in this recent ░░░░░░░░ piece that concerns existed ░░░░░░░░ from the get go ░░░░░░░░ the Biden term Explain ░░░░░░░░ Yeah That s right ░░░░░░░░ good morning It s ░░░░░░░░ to be here One ░░░░░░░░ the key findings in ░░░░░░░░ in our piece was ░░░░░░░░ in the very early ░░░░░░░░ of the Biden Administration ░░░░░░░░ aides told people seeking ░░░░░░░░ that the meetings had ░░░░░░░░ be short and they ░░░░░░░░ to be focused And ░░░░░░░░ said this to people ░░░░░░░░ know top officials seeking ░░░░░░░░ with the president They ░░░░░░░░ the reason is he ░░░░░░░░ tired He makes mistakes ░░░░░░░░ we need to keep ░░░░░░░░ short and we need ░░░░░░░░ keep it focused SMERCONISH ░░░░░░░░ your piece I m ░░░░░░░░ to put on the ░░░░░░░░ and I m going ░░░░░░░░ read aloud Presidents always ░░░░░░░░ gatekeepers but in Biden ░░░░░░░░ case the walls around ░░░░░░░░ were higher and the ░░░░░░░░ greater According to democratic ░░░░░░░░ donors and aides who ░░░░░░░░ for Biden and other ░░░░░░░░ There were limits over ░░░░░░░░ Biden spoke with limits ░░░░░░░░ what they said to ░░░░░░░░ and limits around the ░░░░░░░░ of information he consumed ░░░░░░░░ on that LINSKEY Yeah ░░░░░░░░ um way that the ░░░░░░░░ White House functioned is ░░░░░░░░ was a hard shell ░░░░░░░░ around the president and ░░░░░░░░ shell just got thicker ░░░░░░░░ harder over time Um ░░░░░░░░ was not speaking regularly ░░░░░░░░ some key cabinet members ░░░░░░░░ his secretary of treasury ░░░░░░░░ secretary of defense We ░░░░░░░░ um and he was ░░░░░░░░ always getting the information ░░░░░░░░ was not always getting ░░░░░░░░ news clippings did not ░░░░░░░░ include some of the ░░░░░░░░ stories There was a ░░░░░░░░ effort to make sure ░░░░░░░░ were lots of positive ░░░░░░░░ about a particular event ░░░░░░░░ there was a limit ░░░░░░░░ the information he was ░░░░░░░░ And instead of meeting ░░░░░░░░ some of these people ░░░░░░░░ was getting briefed by ░░░░░░░░ staff And the problem ░░░░░░░░ that is you have ░░░░░░░░ filter Even the most ░░░░░░░░ meaning well briefed staff ░░░░░░░░ um is still a ░░░░░░░░ and we just found ░░░░░░░░ that wall meant that ░░░░░░░░ president wasn t necessarily ░░░░░░░░ a complete view of ░░░░░░░░ information that was happening ░░░░░░░░ the world but also ░░░░░░░░ Democrats and the democratic ░░░░░░░░ in this town and ░░░░░░░░ this country were not ░░░░░░░░ a full sense—“