President Joe Biden is allegedly showing signs of mental decline, according to an explosive new report.
At 81, Biden is the oldest person to hold the presidency, and as November nears, there have been questions about his age and cognitive fitness.
Republicans have used his mental wellness in attacks on him.
"I used to meet with him when he was vice president. I'd go to his house," Former GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told the Wall Street Journal, "He's not the same person."
However, the White House and top aides have countered by saying Biden remains a sharp and vigorous leader.
"Congressional Republicans, foreign leader, and nonpartisan national-security experts have made it clear in their own words that President Biden is a savvy and effective leader who has a deep record of legislative accomplishment," said White House spokesman Andrew Bates.
"Now, in 2024, House Republicans are making false claims as a political tactic that flatly contradict previous statements made by themselves and their colleagues."
He added that any comments that Biden is declining are "false and politically motivated claims."
But the Journal claims that those who have worked with the president in the past, including some Democrats, have described Biden as appearing slower now, with both good moments and bad ones.
Biden is expected to face former president Donald Trump, 77, in the presidential election. Trump has had is own questions about his mental acuity.
Both have been captured slipping up repeatedly while speaking, and those moments have provided ammo for both Democrats and Republicans to slam the opposing candidate.
The White House said the president's doctors have found him fit to serve and that his recent annual physical showed no need for a cognitive test, while a spokeswoman for Trump called him "sharp as a tack."
In a March, Wall Street Journal survey of voters in seven battleground states, just 28% said Biden was better suited physically and mentally for the presidency, while 48% picked Trump.
Skepticism regarding Biden's age took a turn for the worse earlier this year when Special Counsel Robery K. Hur., who interviewed him for nearly five hours over two days in October, reported that Biden's memory had been "significantly limited."
In a news conference, Biden retorted, "I know what the hell I'm doing."
