Cabinet members who proudly defended President Biden’s fitness for office prior to Thursday night’s presidential debate took a more reserved, if unambiguous, stance on Friday morning as the dust settled.
House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., on Friday released a statement that insisted that the debate showed “clearly” that “Biden is unfit for office.”
“His mental and physical decline has been obvious throughout his presidency,” Johnson said. “To anyone who hasn’t been paying attention, last night should have been a wake up call.”
Fox News contributor Liz Peek noted that CNN’s post-debate analysis highlighted that Biden did not appear capable of serving four more years, with even his most ardent supporters wobbling.
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And cabinet members provided terse responses to inquiries about Biden’s performance in contrast to their more effusive pre-debate defenses of Biden’s capability to perform the duties of the President of the United States.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks to the media about an overview of public safety plans for Super Bowl week at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas on Feb. 7. (Candice Ward/Getty Images)
When asked if Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stands by his previous statement, a DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital, “YES.” Mayorkas last week rejected accusations that Biden is “slipping,” instead claiming that “the president always draws on our prior conversations and past events in analyzing the issues and reaching his conclusion.”
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The spokesperson also insisted that the 25th Amendment “SHOULD NOT” be invoked to try and shift Biden out of the race and make room for another candidate.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken likewise stands by his comments made earlier this month, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital. He insisted that no one is talking about invoking the 25th Amendment, which can be invoked by the Cabinet if the president becomes disabled to such a degree that he cannot fulfill his responsibilities.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken talks at the McCain Institute’s Sedona Forum in Sedona, Arizona, on May 3. (AP Photo/Jake Bacon)
In previous comments to Fox News Digital, Blinken stressed that during his 22 years working with Biden, “his depth of knowledge, fluency with policy and politics and ability to cut to the chase and argue his case are exceptoinal. He’s invariably one step ahead of us.”
A spokesperson for Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said that they had “nothing to add” beyond comments made last week, in which Haaland touted Biden’s mentorship and described his leadership as “a strong, experienced hand as well as a compassionate heart in this era of both environmental and political challenges.”
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“Each time, he takes charge and implores us to think more deeply about our task of moving our country forward,” Haaland said in the earlier remarks.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm also underscored her support for Biden, according to Department of Energy Director of Public Affairs Amanda Finney.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm testifies during the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Committee hearing titled “Fiscal Year 2024 Request for the Department of Energy” in the Rayburn Building in Washington, D.C., on March 23, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“Yes, the Secretary stands by her comments made previously,” Finney said in an email to Fox News Digital.
A spokesperson for Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told Fox News Digital that the secretary “stands by her previous comments including the statement provided to Fox digital” and rejected talk of the 25th Amendment, saying there are no rumblings and “it won’t be” invoked.
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Yellen previously told Fox News Digital, “Both in Washington and in meetings with world leaders around the globe — including during strenuous negotiations with [Chinese] President Xi — I’ve always seen President Biden to be extremely well-informed, in command of the facts and very effective in advancing American interests.”
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Finance Ministers Meeting press conference in San Francisco on Nov. 13, 2023. (Loren Elliott / AFP)
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In response to an inquiry to Vice President Harris, who made the rounds on CNN and MSNBC immediately following the debate on Thursday night, a White House spokesperson did not respond and instead referred to the campaign for any comments.
Other cabinet members did not respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment by the time of publication.