Goodlander Defended Aging Biden As Good To Go Long After Others Admitted Decline

By Michael Graham, NH Journal

Long after polls showed Granite State Democrats believed President Joe Biden was unfit for the job, Maggie Goodlander was insisting he was still good to go as commander in chief.

In fact, she wanted to “secretly record” the president to prove to the world that Biden was still on the ball.

That’s according to journalist Bob Woodward in his new book “War,” scheduled to be released next week.

The New York Post reported Thursday that Woodward’s book describes White House staffers like Goodlander’s husband, national security advisor Jake Sullivan, continuing to dismiss concerns about Biden’s mental acumen as “more of an optics problem” until his disastrous debate with Donald Trump.

According to Woodward, Goodlander told her husband she “felt the urge to secretly record” phone calls between Biden and Sullivan and use the audio to push back on negative reports about Biden’s failing mental state.

“However, even Goodlander admitted that watching Biden’s stumbling television appearances were ‘harrowing’ experiences,” according to the reporting.

Goodlander’s claims that Biden was still fit for duty as recently as the June presidential debate run contrary to the overwhelming opinion of most Americans — and most Granite State Democrats.

In February 2024, an NBC News poll found 76 percent of Americans said they had concerns about Biden having the necessary mental and physical health to serve a second term as president. An IPSOS-ABC News poll taken around that same time reported 86 percent of Americans thought the 81-year-old Biden was too old for another term. Among independents, it was a whopping 91 percent.

And New Hampshire Democrats were telling pollsters in September 2023 they were less than enthusiastic about the prospect of a second Biden presidential bid.

Asked by NHJournal if she still believes Biden was mentally and physically fit to serve another four-year term, Goodlander declined to answer. Nor would she say if she believes Biden has the mental and physical acuity to serve as commander in chief today.

“Liar,” said former Ambassador Scott Brown when asked about Goodlander’s claims regarding Biden’s mental and physical state. “No offense, but everyone knew he was in decline going on for three years.”

This story was originally published by the NH Journal, an online news publication dedicated to providing fair, unbiased reporting on, and analysis of, political news of interest to New Hampshire. For more stories from the NH Journal, visit NHJournal.com.