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When you’re standing in front of the world’s most powerful nation, there’s no room for mistakes. Every move you make is carefully watched and scrutinized under microscopic conditions. 82 years old, and even within your party, whispers of fragility and doubt envelop you. This was Joe Biden’s world as the 46th president of the United States. Tenure, stained by physical stumbles and tumbles. While his “team” was working frantically behind the scenes to cover the nudity of “The Emperor With No Clothes.” You, the public, may have seen the debates, the press conferences, the carefully curated speeches. But the question lingers, what happened behind closed doors? What did Biden depend on to navigate the daunting task of leadership, and who was it that was navigating this iceberg? 

This investigative dive pulls back the emerald curtain on Biden’s presidency from 2021 to 2025. Through case studies, expert insights, and a critical lens, we explore his dependencies during public appearances, the unseen dynamics of his administration, and the question that lingers: How much control did he truly have? Transparency is our goal, and the truth—however complex—is our destination.

The Debate Debacle: A Case Study in Exhaustion

Let’s start with June 27, 2024, a night that would haunt Biden’s campaign. The first presidential debate against Donald Trump, hosted by CNN, was a high-stakes moment. You probably watched, jaw clenched, as Biden struggled to string thoughts together, his voice faltering, his responses muddled. Critics called it a “train-wreck,” and even supporters winced. But what led to this?

Behind the scenes, Biden was a man who had a fire in his belly, but no fuel to keep it going. According to Uncharted by Chris Whipple, a book based on insider accounts, Biden arrived at Camp David for debate prep “fatigued, befuddled, and disengaged.” Ron Klain, his former chief of staff, described a president obsessed with foreign leaders’ trivia, unable to focus on policy or strategy. One mock debate was cut short after 45 minutes—Biden’s voice was shot, his energy drained. He was not ok, blaming exhaustion and poor preparation.

Of course the debate rules would not support the charade that lasted until this point. You can’t rely on pre-written notes or teleprompters prepared by staff. So, what do you get? A pen, paper, and a water bottle. Having to rely on memory and quick thinking, leaves one exposed. The blank look in Biden’s eyes, jaw loosely hanging, forgetting what he was saying mid brain-download, slurring out word salad. By 2024 Biden’s mind was purportedly faltering, and fast. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a CNN medical correspondent, noted in a July 2024 analysis that Biden’s debate performance showed signs of cognitive overload, “It’s not just age,” Gupta wrote. “It’s the cumulative toll of pressure and fatigue.”

This case study reveals a stark truth: Biden’s resorting to preparation and rest was critical, and when those failed, so did he. Behind closed doors, aides scrambled to prop him up, but the “Weekend at Bernie’s” trope was difficult to keep up with.

Press Conferences: Scripted Safety Nets

Biden steps to the podium, delivers a speech, and fields questions. Smooth, right? Not quite. You might not have noticed the teleprompter glowing with his opening remarks or the carefully vetted reporters waiting with pre-approved questions. But these were Biden’s lifelines.

A July 11, 2024, press conference, post-debate, offers a window. USA Today reported Biden read nearly 10 minutes of remarks via teleprompter before a 50-minute Q&A. The Washington Post noted that by 2024, Biden “almost never” appeared publicly without a teleprompter, even for donor events. Staff called reporters beforehand to gauge questions, a departure from past presidencies. When the teleprompter failed, as it did briefly during that July event, Biden stumbled, mixing up names and losing his train of thought, which was plain to see.

Biden’s press conferences were less spontaneous than they seemed. Behind the scenes, aides crafted a safety net to keep him on message, a necessity driven by concerns about his mental sharpness.

Behind Closed Doors: A Web of Protection

What you didn’t see was the intricate dance of denial and control. Uncharted paints a vivid picture: aides, family, and Biden himself were caught in a “fog of delusion,” believing he could power through despite clear signs of decline. Whipple writes that staff avoided real-time interviews, fearing they’d expose his struggles. After the June 2024 debate, Biden skipped a White House meeting for a photoshoot, a move aides hoped would project vitality.

Case study two: Biden’s refusal to use hearing aids. A 2023 Daily Mail report cited allies urging him to consider them, as his hearing loss—evident in loud settings—could affect public interactions. He declined, perhaps out of pride or fear of appearing frail. Dr. Jane Sadler, an audiologist quoted in Healthline, explains, “Untreated hearing loss in older adults can exacerbate cognitive strain, making public speaking harder.” This decision, small but telling, shows how personal choices compounded Biden’s challenges.

Who orchestrated this protective web? Key players allegedly included:

• Ron Klain, chief of staff until 2023, who returned for 2024 debate prep.
• Mike Donilon, senior advisor and speechwriter, shaping Biden’s public voice.
• Jen O’Malley Dillon, deputy chief of staff, managing campaign transitions.
• Ted Kaufman, a long-time confidant, advising from the shadows.

These aides didn’t just support Biden; they insulated him. A Semafor report from July 2024 quoted a West Wing official claiming some policy decisions bypassed Biden entirely. Auto pen? While aides like Bruce Reed insisted he signed off on everything, the discrepancy suggests a presidency where control was, at times, delegated.

The Auto Pen Puzzle: Who Signed What?

Then there’s the auto pen, a mechanical signature device that sparked a firestorm. You might wonder: did Biden know what he was signing? Trump and the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project claimed in March 2025 that most of Biden’s executive documents bore the same auto pen signature, implying aides ran the show. “Whoever controlled the autopen controlled the presidency,” their X post declared.

Legally, auto pens are standard, used since Jefferson’s time. NPR confirms they’re valid for pardons and orders, with presidents like Obama relying on them. But the Oversight Project’s report, citing uniform signatures, fueled speculation that Biden’s cognitive state left him unaware of key decisions. A 2021 viral video, debunked by USA Today, falsely claimed Biden said, “I don’t know what I’m signing.” No hard evidence proves he was oblivious, but House Speaker Mike Johnson’s 2025 comments to The Economic Times suggested staff exploited his condition.

Expert perspective: Professor Claire Finkelstein, a legal scholar at Penn, told PBS that auto pen use is “constitutionally sound” but can raise trust issues if overused without oversight. The lack of specific instances tying Biden’s signatures to unawareness makes this a murky area, but the controversy underscores public doubt about his capacity.

Decoding the Dynamics

 Dr. Gupta, beyond his debate analysis, wrote in CNN that aging leaders face “diminishing crystallized intelligence,” impacting recall under pressure. This explains Biden’s reliance on scripts and notes, a natural adaptation but one that limited spontaneity.

Politically, Biden’s team was in a no-win situation. Admit weakness, and you lose voters. Hide it, and you risk exposure. This point aligns with Original Sin by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, which details aides discussing wheelchair use in 2023–2024 due to Biden’s spinal issues, a plan shelved for political reasons.

These insights reveal a presidency balancing competence and concealment, a tightrope walk that often faltered.

The Transparency Gap

Here’s where it gets tricky. You want the truth, but the truth is fogged up, by conflicting accounts and missing records. No cognitive tests were conducted, despite aides’ 2024 debate over one, per The New York Times. Medical records remain protected, and insider books like Uncharted rely on interviews, not documents. Official statements—Biden’s May 2025 denial of decline on The View, White House claims of fitness—clash with Klain’s accounts of exhaustion.

This gap fuels skepticism. Historical cover-ups (like Woodrow Wilson’s stroke) make the public skeptical. Without primary evidence, we’re left picking up pieces of a shattered plate, attempting to super glue them back together. My take? Aides likely overcompensated, driven by loyalty and fear of electoral fallout, but claims of a “shadow presidency” stretch beyond what we can prove.

A Presidency in the Shadows

What exactly did this ecosystem look like? In debates, a faltering memory and inadequate prep. In press conferences, teleprompters and curated questions. Behind the scenes, a loyal cadre of aides who scripted his every move, from speeches to signatures, to mask a decline many suspected but few confirmed. You might feel uneasy, wondering how much was real, how much staged. I do too. The presidency demands clarity, yet Biden’s final years offered opacity.

For AshesOnAir readers, this isn’t just history—it’s a call to question. Who holds power when the leader wanes? How do we ensure transparency in an age of image? The answers aren’t easy, but the search for them is urgent.

Sources:

• Uncharted by Chris Whipple (NPR, The Guardian)
• Original Sin by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson (Axios)
• CNN, Reuters, The Washington Post, USA Today, The Independent
• Semafor, Newsweek, Daily Mail, The New York Times
• PBS, The Economic Times, Healthline