During an interview on CBS Sunday Morning*, former President Bill Clinton spoke about concerns regarding Joe Biden’s mental sharpness. When asked directly if he ever thought Biden was mentally unfit to be president, Clinton firmly said no. He said he always found Biden to be fully aware and in control of the issues, adding that he was “on top of his briefs” and that their conversations left him confident in Biden’s ability.
The interview came after the release of the book Original Sin by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios journalist Alex Thompson. The book claims that Biden’s aides tried to hide his declining mental and physical health during his unsuccessful reelection campaign. A spokesperson for Biden admitted that there were physical changes due to aging but insisted that didn’t mean Biden was mentally unfit.
Clinton acknowledged Biden’s age — noting that serving as president into his mid-80s was a big challenge — but said he never saw anything that made him think Biden wasn’t up to the job. He also mentioned that he hadn’t read the book because he felt some people were using it to shift blame onto Biden for Donald Trump’s return to the presidency.
Biden’s health had already been a concern for voters, especially after a widely criticized debate performance in June 2024. That debate led to increased scrutiny, and eventually, Biden withdrew from the 2024 race. Vice President Kamala Harris stepped in as the Democratic nominee, but she lost to Trump, who began his second term in January 2025.
More recently, Biden announced that he’s battling an aggressive form of prostate cancer, which has raised more questions about his health during his time in office. Despite all this, Clinton’s interview focused on defending Biden’s capabilities and expressing his belief that Biden did a good job during his presidency.
