South Carolina Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn insisted Friday that President Joe Biden’s mind is extraordinary and that his mistakes are due to his stutter, not cognitive impairment.
On Thursday, Biden mistakenly called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “President Putin” and confused Vice President Kamala Harris with former President Donald Trump. Clyburn, on “The Today Show,” said Biden is exceptionally sharp and that mistakes like this are related to his chronic stutter, not his diminishing speech. (RELATED: Press conference breaks out after several journalists bombard KJP with questions about neurologist’s visit to the White House)
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Jim Clyburn insists Biden “has one of the best minds” and his mistakes are related to “stuttering” image.twitter.com/jVoLr3qvEX
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“Those of us who are close observers of Joe Biden know that he sometimes mumbles words and phrases, but that’s all almost second nature to people who grew up stuttering and they focus a little bit more. And when you focus a little bit more, you tend to lose your rhythm,” Clyburn said.
“But you’re not saying that what we’ve seen from this president over the last three weeks is just a result of his stutter,” NBC anchor Craig Melvin asked. “It’s more than that.”
Democrats have increasingly urged Biden to drop out of the presidential race after his debate performance against former President Donald Trump raised concerns about the president’s cognitive ability.
“He doesn’t stutter now. He’s still working on overcoming his childhood stutter,” Clyburn continued. “I’ve been around that condition for a long time and I know exactly how it works. But he has one of the most brilliant minds I’ve ever been around. And people who have been around him will tell you that. So I hope we focus on the essence of this man, rather than these sometimes mispronounced words and phrases, and how he has led this country.”
Clyburn said Tuesday that he would support Harris if Biden drops out of the 2024 race.
“I will support her if he steps aside, but I will support her in the future. I want this ticket to be Biden-Harris, and then we will see what happens after the next election,” he said. “No, this position should not do anything to bypass Ms. Harris. We should do everything we can to support her, whether she is in second place or at the top of the ticket.”
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