Advisory team of President Biden declined suggestion for cognitive assessment in February 2024, as per news report.

Updated Take:

Ex-Biden aide accuses White House of strong-arming CNN, network denies

Michael LaRosa, former aide to President Joe Biden, recently claimed that the White House tried to influence CNN to not book him after his departure, an allegation that CNN quickly dismissed.

The cat's out of the bag! A forthcoming book reveals that President Biden's team decided against administering a cognitive test to the president in February 2024, due to concerns that the test would generate more concerns regarding his age, according to a report in The New York Times on Sunday.

The behind-the-scenes drama is chronicled in a book by Tyler Pager (of The New York Times), Josh Dawsey (of the Wall Street Journal), and Isaac Arnsdorf (of the Washington Post), titled "2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America." The book is set to hit bookshelves in July.

This book is just one of many that delve into the intense 2024 presidential election. The book sheds light on the internal debate among Biden's top aides regarding having the president tackle a cognitive test to assuage concerns about his age. Apparently, they were optimistic that he would ace the test.

"At the same time, Mr. Biden's longtime doctor, Kevin O'Connor, had told aides he would not consider politics when treating the president," the Times reported, quoting the book.

*FORMER CNN ANALYST CALLS OUT MEDIA ON BLIND EYE TO BIDEN’S ALLEGED DECLINE*There's a larger conversation brewing about the media's alleged blindness to potential signs of Biden's supposed decline. Many claim that media outlets, for the most part, have turned a blind eye to Biden's alleged decline because they primarily support Democratic candidates.

President Joe Biden lets out a chuckle as he talks to members of the press outside the White House. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The showdown between Biden and Trump in June loomed large in February 2024, several months prior to the debate and just a couple of weeks before Biden's White House physical exam, according to the Times.

That month, Special Counsel Robert Hur's report on Trump's handling of classified documents was released. The report portrayed Biden as "a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory."

The NYT report also recounts a 2022 conversation between former Biden chief of staff Ron Klain and David Axelrod, a former Obama aide and frequent CNN guest. Klain, as reported by the Times, phoned Axelrod following a Times article from June 2022 in which Axelrod stated, "The stark reality is the president would be closer to 90 than 80 at the end of a second term, and that would be a major issue."

"Klain's call to Axelrod was heated, as he wanted to know why Axelrod was fanning doubts about a Democratic president who was gearing up for a re-election campaign," the Times reported.

*NANCY PELOSI ALLEGEDLY ENCOURAGED BIDEN NOT TO DEBATE TRUMP TO FEED HIS EGO, ACCORDING TO BOOK*The book claims that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi encouraged Biden not to debate Trump in a move to stroke the president's ego.

"There's no Obama out there, Axe," Klain allegedly told Axelrod during the call, according to the Times. "Who's going to do it if he doesn't do it?"

Another book about the 2024 campaign reveals that Klain claimed Biden was "fatigued, befuddled and disengaged" before his debate with Trump in June. Klain aided Biden in debate preparation after leaving his White House role.

"At their first meeting in Aspen Lodge, the president's cabin," author Chris Whipple wrote, "Klain was taken aback. He'd never seen [Biden] so exhausted and out of it. Biden was unaware of what was happening in his own campaign."

Whipple's book, "Uncharted: How Trump Beat Biden, Harris, and the Odds in the Wildest Campaign in History," was released in April.

Neither the Biden administration nor CNN immediately responded to requests for comment.

Hanna Panreck is an associate editor at our website.

Michael LaRosa, a former aide to President Joe Biden, accused the White House of pressuring CNN to avoid booking him post-departure, an allegation that CNN rejected.
In a book set to be released in July, it is revealed that President Biden's team decided against giving him a cognitive test in February 2024, fearing it would fuel concerns over his age.
The book titled "2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America," written by Tyler Pager, Josh Dawsey, and Isaac Arnsdorf, openly discusses the internal debate among Biden's top aides about the president taking a cognitive test.
Former CNN analysts have called out media for their alleged lack of scrutiny on potential signs of Biden's supposed decline, with many claiming the media's bias towards Democratic candidates might be a factor.
In June 2024, the showdown between Biden and Trump loomed large, both in a debate and Biden's White House physical exam, according to a report in The New York Times.
The NYT report also recounts a 2022 conversation between former Biden chief of staff Ron Klain and David Axelrod, where Klain expressed annoyance over Axelrod's comments about Biden's age being a potential issue in a re-election campaign.
Another book on the 2024 campaign claims that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi advised Biden against debating Trump, hoping to boost the president's ego, and that Klain described Biden as 'fatigued, befuddled, and disengaged' before the debate.