Jill Biden shuts down claims that president is mentally unfit: 'Ridiculous'


First lady Jill Biden is not willing to entertain certain criticisms of her husband.
Dr. Biden told CBS News' Rita Braver that she thinks it's "ridiculous" when critics suggest President Biden's mental fitness is questionable. Per The Hill, she shook her head when Braver mentioned that polling shows "quite a few Americans have some questions about the president's current mental fitness."
"I think that's ridiculous," said Biden. The polls Braver mentioned include a Politico/Morning Consult poll that found 46 percent said the president is mentally fit, and 48 percent said he isn't. The numbers on that question have drastically sunk in the last year.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
While the first lady may not approve of questions about Biden's mental acuity, more general polls also don't look great for the president. A Thursday survey from NPR/Marist found that Biden's approval ratings have dropped to 42 percent, tied for the lowest he's ever polled.
"What's more, the intensity of disapproval is high — 38% said they strongly disapprove of Biden," writes NPR. "That's close to the territory that President Donald Trump resided in during his term." According to NPR's analysis, voters not giving Biden credit for his administration's policies might be partly to blame. A majority of those surveyed were in favor of the president's tentpole projects, like the infrastructure bill that recently took effect.
NPR/Marist surveyed 1,172 adults via phone from Nov. 30 through Dec. 6. The margin of error is 3.8 percentage points. Read more at NPR.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.
-
Trump's LA deployment in limbo after court rulings
Speed Read Judge Breyer ruled that Trump's National Guard deployment to Los Angeles was an 'illegal' overreach. But a federal appellate court halted the ruling.
-
Marines, National Guard in LA can detain Americans
speed read The troops have been authorized to detain anyone who interferes with immigration raids
-
Trump vows 'very big force' against parade protesters
Speed Read The parade, which will shut down much of the capital, will celebrate the US Army's 250th anniversary and Trump's 79th birthday
-
Smithsonian asserts its autonomy from Trump
speed read The DC institution defied Trump's firing of National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet
-
Trump sends Marines to LA, backs Newsom arrest
speed read California Gov. Gavin Newsom is filing lawsuits in response to Trump's escalation of the federal response to ICE protests
-
Trump foists National Guard on unwilling California
speed read Protests erupted over ICE immigration raids in LA county
-
Supreme Court lowers bar in discrimination cases
speed read The court ruled in favor of a white woman who claimed she lost two deserved promotions to gay employees
-
Trump-Musk relationship implodes in taunts, threats
speed read Musk said Trump's multitrillion bill would cause a recession and accused the president of involvement with Jeffrey Epstein