President Joe Biden has slowed his public appearances since he ended his reelection campaign in July.
The White House declined to schedule a public event for Biden on 43 of the 75 days since he dropped out of the presidential race, according to an analysis by Axios. The president’s public appearances largely occur in the early afternoon. Since dropping out, Biden had two public appearances before 11 am, five after 5 pm, and none before 10 am, according to the analysis.
Biden, 81, faced extensive calls from within his party to end his reelection campaign after his debate performance in June against former President Donald Trump, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
The president announced the end of his campaign in a July post on X.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote.
Axios reported that White House aids believe Biden showed signs of decline in recent months due to the pressure of the presidency and the legal troubles of his son, Hunter — claims publicly denied by the White House.
“Being commander-in-chief is about far more than public events, which are scheduled at strategic times to reach the most Americans possible, like before 20 million Americans watch the national evening news,” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates told Axios, adding that Biden, “works around the clock, long before and after these times, as the historic results he continues to achieve weekly for the American people demonstrate.”
The president conducted two interviews since July 21.
Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who was then chosen as the Democratic Party’s nominee at its August convention despite not having a primary campaign.
Harris’ team did not schedule any events with First Lady Jill Biden last month, Axios reported. A spokesperson for the First Lady told the outlet she is “planning a campaign travel swing through battleground states during her fall break from teaching.”
Biden continued a series of gaffes since the debate. He referred to Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), as “Secretary Vance,” addressed the United Nations in New York with, “Welcome to Washington,” and appeared confused at an event with the Prime Minister of India when he yelled, “Who’s next?”
The president made a public appearance on Thursday in Georgia in an event on federal relief to Hurricane Helene victims. Biden expressed confusion when asked about the storm zone on Thursday.
“Oh, storm zone? I don’t know which storm you’re talking about, they are getting what they need, and they are very happy across the board,” he said.