Biden skipped evening G7 meeting to 'go to bed,' Wall Street Journal reports

WASHINGTON (TND) — President Joe Biden skipped an evening meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the 2022 G7 summit to “go to bed,” according to a new report by the Wall Street Journal.

German officials had reportedly arranged the meeting to be in the early evening to accommodate Biden’s sleep schedule. Despite this, the president did not show, “surprising” the chancellor.

Biden instead sent Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the meeting, who reportedly told attendees the 81-year-old president “had to go to bed.” A spokesperson from the State Department refuted the report, telling the Wall Street Journal “Secretary Blinken never said that or anything like it.”

A government official reportedly told the publication the White House had made it clear the president would not attend and denied that Blinken was there in Biden’s stead. Biden, they said, was also managing domestic affairs while traveling abroad and had spent one evening working until 10:00 p.m.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The National Desk on Tuesday.

Those present at the summit told the Wall Street Journal that Biden did not appear to show signs of cognitive decline while at the event. He did, however, display signs of becoming “physically worn out” with each passing day. Aides reportedly blamed this on a lack of air conditioning, which the State Department also denied.

The report comes amid enhanced scrutiny of Biden’s mental and physical capabilities as he fights to win reelection in November. Reporters on Monday drilled White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre over visitor records which showed that Dr. Kevin Cannard, a Parkinson’s disease expert from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, had made multiple visits to the White House since summer 2023.

“We understand the freedom of the press, we respect the freedom of the press, you heard me talk about this last week,” she said. “I appreciate the back-and-forth that we all have. I try to respect you and I hope you try to respect me.”

A letter from the White House late Monday confirmed Dr. Cannard had examined Biden for his annual physicals.

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