A heated exchange took place earlier this year when a call to ex-President Joe Biden ignited the indignation of his closest aides. This occurrence reinforces the narrative of the rigorous control exerted by his entourage. During the disputed conversation, Biden did not hold back in expressing his displeasure with Donald Trump’s administration, stating that he found no productivity in its actions.
Interestingly, Biden also revealed that he harbored no second thoughts about his decision to withdraw from the 2024 race. ‘I am not one to wallow in regret,’ was Biden’s exact response. This declaration seemed to surprise his aides who, as it turned out, were even more upset with his exit from the political scene.
The resulting outrage among Biden’s team was palpable, as they questioned how their caller even had Biden’s personal contact details. The assumption here is that the pervasive circle of ‘yes men’ surrounding Biden would have prevented any access to him that was not approved by them first.
In their bewilderment and agitation, Biden’s aides took immediate measures to prevent further unexpected calls. Their countermeasure? Changing Biden’s cell number – a clear indicator of their protective stance. Attempts to contact Biden through the new number only resulted in a computerized message indicating that the number in question had either been changed, disconnected, or was out of service.
This episode unveils the lengths these ‘gatekeepers’ were willing to go to insulate Biden, particularly toward the end of his failed re-election campaign. The fact that they vehemently confronted the caller then went as far as changing the former President’s contact details shows the determination to keep him in a controlled environment, free from potentially troubling news.
Such actions were telling of a trend in Biden’s camp, where the existence of an echo chamber effectively banished all critical feedback. These disturbing instances served as deciding factors in why Biden decided to depart from his efforts to secure a second term.
Depicting Biden as living in a bubble, these ‘yes men’ apparently did more harm than good. They were tenacious in their efforts to keep him shielded from any bad news, to the extent of obstructing any direct dialogue between Biden and his campaign’s pollsters.
Due to the control exerted by these aides, Biden and his campaign’s pollsters never had a proper meeting. The pollsters were left to express their findings to the ever-watchful inner circle. It was this restrictive environment that painted an unrealistic picture of Biden’s chances during his campaign, as adverse feedback was systematically silenced.
When the pollsters attempted to convey their realistic assessment that Biden did not have a surefire route to victory, the advisors vehemently lambasted this conclusion. According to one such advisor, their job was not to measure Biden’s odds unfavorably, but rather to devise scenarios where he would emerge victorious.
Another one of these ‘yes men’ doubled down on the idea that Biden should have soldiered on. He audaciously criticized the decision for him to withdraw as a crazy move by the Democratic leadership. This advisor seemed to have conveniently overlooked the vast array of disastrous indicators that pointed towards an imminent political downfall.
He went a step further to accuse the media of fostering an impression of Biden’s acuity declining in the last year of his presidency. One needs to wonder if perhaps this was not a fabricated ‘impression’ but a stark reality that the advisor – just like Biden – was unable to face.
His delusion stuck to the point where he bafflingly questioned why anyone would walk away from ‘a guy with 81 million votes’. A clear instance of the numbers not adding up to a viable narrative in the face of the hard truth: the bleak reality of Biden’s appeal beyond these alleged votes.
In conclusion, it is apparent that Biden’s camp thrived on delusion and hysterical control, painting a sobering image of his tenure as president. Instead of having him face the realities of his dwindling political appeal, his aides decided that a world of comforting fiction was the ideal path to proceed. This tale serves as a testament to the credulous world that was Biden’s presidential term, an era marred by denial, delusion, and regrettable decisions.