CNN conservative commentator Scott Jennings claimed that President Joe Biden will end his presidency "in disgrace" during a panel debate on Sunday (December 29).
Jennings, a former Republican strategist, was debating a claim made by colleague and former Democratic strategists Karen Finney that Biden "got the work done."
“I think he’s going to leave office in disgrace! The Hunter Biden pardon was disgraceful. He’s going to be remembered largely for inflation and for the disastrous Afghanistan pullout,” Jennings said, referring to the president's decision to pardon his own son, as well as his evacuation of American troops in Afghanistan after nearly 20 years.
The panel acknowledged the Wall Street Journal's recent report on White House aides allegedly covering up Biden's mental decline during the last four years, which reportedly included limiting the 82-year-old president's in-person interaction.
“We still don’t know the full extent of what they did to try to hide what they have been doing over in the West Wing,” said Jennings, who had previously worked as an adviser to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Veteran CBS News reporter Jan Crawford also claimed Biden's "obvious cognitive decline" was the most underreported story of 2024 prior to it becoming unavoidable after his disappointing debate performance against eventual President-elect Donald Trump this past summer during an appearance on Face the Nation Sunday morning.
“Undercovered and underreported, that would be, to me, Joe Biden’s obvious cognitive decline that became undeniable in the televised debate,” said Crawford, who serves as the network's chief legal correspondent.
“And yet he insisted that he could still run for president. We should have much more forcefully questioned whether he was fit for office for another four years, which could have led to a primary for the Democrats,” she added, referring to the same Wall Street Journal report. “It could have changed the scope of the entire election.”
Biden, the oldest president in history, appeared opposite Trump on the debate stage in June for the first time since the 2020 election and did little to quell concerns about his vigor and energy. The president appeared to struggle with his voice, clearing his throat and coughing multiple times, and was often seen open-mouthed and staring when Trump spoke, occasionally struggling to finish sentences.
Biden's performance reportedly led to "panic" among Democrats, according to longtime Democratic operative and CNN senior political commentator David Axelrod, which was followed by several Democratic members of Congress calling for him to drop out of the race, eventually complying in July. Vice President Kamala Harris quickly emerged as Biden's replacement and was reported to have a polling surge, however, was handily defeated by Trump in the 2024 presidential election in November.