On October 24, 2025, a heated exchange unfolded live on CNN as anchor Brianna Keilar pressed former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about Joe Biden’s mental fitness during his presidency. The conversation, broadcast on CNN’s “News Central,” quickly became a flashpoint in the ongoing debate over the 46th president’s cognitive health, a topic that has only grown more contentious amid recent revelations and retrospective accounts from inside the administration.
Keilar’s line of questioning was direct and, at times, unrelenting. Citing details from a new book co-authored by CNN’s own Jake Tapper and political journalist Alex Thompson, she referenced mounting concerns among Biden’s cabinet members regarding his ability to lead in high-pressure situations. “According to my colleague Jake Tapper, who wrote a book with Alex Thompson, looking back on that, cabinet secretaries were telling them that Biden wasn’t up to the task of the proverbial 2 a.m. phone call. George Clooney said Biden didn’t even recognize him at the fundraiser that he was hosting. I mean, we’re talking 2023, 2024, why didn’t you see — why didn’t you have concerns? Why didn’t you raise them?” Keilar asked, her tone reflecting the urgency and gravity of the issue (as reported by CNN and confirmed by the book’s accounts).
These incidents, including the now widely cited episode where Biden failed to recognize Clooney at a 2023 fundraiser, have fueled speculation about his cognitive state. Keilar did not shy away from the sensitive subject, continuing, “Do you think he should be president right now? Do you think that he is capable right now of being president because that is what you were advocating for, someone who would be president in his current state until 2029.”
Jean-Pierre, who served as Biden’s press secretary until the end of his term, stood her ground. She replied, “So I did not have any concerns. I saw him on a daily basis, Brianna. You know that. I saw him every day. I engaged with him every day.” She did acknowledge Biden’s age, adding, “Now, did he show age? No one is denying that. Yes, he showed age. This is a president that was sharp. This is a president that pushed his staff. This is a president that was on top of what the policies that he cared about that were important to the American people.”
Jean-Pierre was quick to highlight Biden’s leadership during the war in Ukraine as evidence of his continued sharpness and ability to manage complex crises. “And let’s not forget, he also was leading a coalition, an international coalition when it came to something that we hadn’t seen in decades when it came to the war in Ukraine. There was a lot going on,” she said, underscoring the unprecedented nature of the moment and the demands placed on the presidency.
Despite the mounting reports of disengagement and confusion, particularly during late hours, Jean-Pierre maintained that her personal experience did not align with the narrative presented by some in the media or within the administration. “Yeah. I did not see anything that concerned me when he decided to run for president,” she insisted. “This is someone that I saw every single day. Again, he was on top of the policies. He was sharp.”
Keilar, not satisfied with generalities, pressed further, referencing the Tapper-Thompson book’s claim that Biden’s cabinet members had privately discussed his fitness for office. “That’s not what I’m asking about, Karine. Do you think he should be president right now? Do you think he is capable right now of being president because that is what you were advocating for, someone who would be president in his current state until 2029.”
Jean-Pierre responded with a blend of personal conviction and deference to her own direct observations: “I did not see anything that concerned me when he decided to run for president. I did not. This is someone that I saw every single day. Again, he was on top of the policies. He was sharp. He was someone that cared about what the outcome of the issues that were in front of the American people and what we were doing. I’m speaking from my own personal opinion. I’m speaking from what I saw on a day-to-day basis.” She emphasized that her perspective was rooted in daily, firsthand interaction rather than secondhand accounts or media reports.
The conversation also touched on the recent disclosure of Biden’s prostate cancer diagnosis, which emerged in May 2025. Medical experts suggested that the cancer may have been present during his presidency, raising further questions about transparency and the administration’s handling of the president’s health. According to CNN, the timing of the diagnosis and its possible overlap with Biden’s time in office added another layer of complexity to the public’s understanding of his capacity to serve.
Despite these revelations, Biden himself has continued to defend his record, frequently pointing to his leadership during international crises and his role in guiding the nation through a period of economic recovery. Nevertheless, internal White House accounts and various media reports have described periods of disengagement and confusion, particularly during evening hours, which have only intensified calls for greater clarity regarding his capacity to lead.
Jean-Pierre, for her part, remained steadfast in her support. “He was someone that cared about what the outcome of the issues that were in front of the American people [were] and what we were doing,” she reiterated, reflecting on her time as press secretary. “I’m speaking from my own personal opinion. I’m speaking from what I saw on a day-to-day basis.” She also noted that Vice President Kamala Harris had addressed similar topics in her own forthcoming book, but Jean-Pierre emphasized that her comments were based on her direct experience.
Keilar, referencing Jean-Pierre’s decision not to read the Tapper-Thompson book, asked, “But you say in your book you don’t plan to read it, Karine. You say you haven’t read it and you don’t plan to. I mean, why not? If most people, a lot of people, if the leadership of their workplace imploded and someone wrote a book with 200 sources, many of them good, they would want to read it, they’d want to reflect on that. Why not?” Jean-Pierre replied, “No, because I saw it personally and I experienced it personally on an average day to day. And right now, Brianna, look where we are today. It is important that we talk about where we today. We are in an unprecedented situation. There are people who are going missing in the street because there’s military being told to round people up who are Brown, who are Black, and some of them are U.S. citizens. We are in a place where the rule of law has been thrown out the window. That’s what I’m talking about. Yes, I pulled back the curtains and wanted to focus on some things that I experienced. Me, Karine Jean-Pierre, as White House press secretary. But I also wanted to talk about the moment that we are in. These are dangerous times.”
As the interview wrapped up, Jean-Pierre again circled back to her core message: that her defense of Biden’s mental fitness was based on her daily, firsthand interactions, not hearsay. The debate over Biden’s cognitive health, however, is unlikely to dissipate soon. With the public, the media, and political insiders all weighing in—and with the president’s own health disclosures now part of the conversation—the question of what constitutes fitness to lead remains very much in the air. For now, Jean-Pierre’s loyalty to her former boss is clear, even as the nation continues to grapple with the implications of the recent revelations and the broader challenges facing American democracy.
