There was a time when Bill Clinton’s political instincts were sharp enough to win elections in his sleep. He was a centrist charmer who could spin straw into gold and disarm his critics with a wink and a word. But in his latest appearance on CBS Sunday Morning, the 42nd President of the United States traded credibility for cognitive contortion as he attempted to dismiss concerns about Joe Biden’s mental acuity—a move that’s drawing eye-rolls from even the most casual political observers.
Asked directly about Biden’s fitness, Clinton—without flinching—asserted, “He was always on top of his briefs.” If that eyebrow-raising line wasn’t already making headlines for its unintended comedy, the broader claim certainly is: Bill Clinton looked the camera in the eye and told the American public he’s never seen signs of decline in Joe Biden.
Bill Clinton is a liar. pic.twitter.com/5VmcYjxw8s
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) June 1, 2025
The conversation came in the wake of the release of “Original Sin,” a bombshell book by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios journalist Alex Thompson, which lays out in disturbing detail how Biden’s closest aides not only witnessed his decline, but allegedly worked to hide it from voters and the press during his 2024 reelection bid.
But Clinton wasn’t having any of it. “No,” he said plainly when asked if he’d ever doubted Biden’s capacity. “I thought he was a good president… We’d had several long talks. I had never seen him and walked away thinking ‘he can’t do this anymore.’”
If you didn’t know better, you might think Clinton was talking about a different man. The same Biden who has frozen mid-sentence during speeches, struggled with names and dates, and has often looked visibly lost in public appearances—even drawing awkward interventions from world leaders and staff alike. All of this has been captured on camera, not whispered in back rooms. It’s real, it’s documented, and it’s undeniably concerning.
Bill Clinton, who looks sicker than he ever has… says he never saw Biden’s mental decline.
Yikes.
pic.twitter.com/Hqs9xzvEn3— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) June 1, 2025
Interviewer Tracy Smith, to her credit, pressed Clinton again, asking if he ever noticed signs of cognitive decline. Clinton doubled down. Still no. In fact, he said Biden was in “good shape” the last time he saw him and indicated he won’t be reading Tapper’s book—a convenient dodge that many are interpreting as a willful refusal to engage with uncomfortable truths.
For a president once known for triangulating public opinion with near-supernatural precision, Clinton’s comments read like an exercise in political damage control, not honest observation. And it begs the question: Is Clinton truly unaware, or simply unwilling to acknowledge the obvious?
