Mike Johnson Raises Concerns Over Joe Biden's 'Cognitive Decline:' 'It's Not A Personal Insult To Him'

Newly appointed House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he sees a “cognitive decline” in President Joe Biden.

What Happened: Johnson echoed this sentiment during a Fox News interview, stating that this decline is a matter of “reality,” not a personal insult.

Johnson, who became Speaker on Wednesday amidst political tumult, was asked by host Sean Hannity if he perceived a cognitive decline in Biden and if it posed a risk to the country. "I do, I think most of us do," the House Speaker responded.

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"That's reality. It's not a personal slight to him, it has to do with age and acumen, and everyone's different. Everyone ages differently," he added.

"Clearly, if you look at a tape of Joe Biden making an argument in the Senate Judiciary Committee a few years ago, and you see a speech that he delivers now, there's a difference," he added.

"Again, I mean, it's not a personal insult to him. It's just reality."

Why It Matters: Johnson’s ascension to the Speaker’s role was met with mixed reactions. While President Biden congratulated him and expressed willingness to work collaboratively, the Biden-Harris 2024 campaign criticized Johnson’s appointment as indicative of an extreme MAGA takeover of the House Republican Conference.

During his interview, Johnson also expressed support for the ongoing impeachment inquiry into the president, initiated under former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

"As my good brother Jamie Comer often says, ‘The bank records don't lie,' so we have the receipts on so much of this now. It's a real problem, that's the reason that we shifted into the impeachment inquiry stage on the president himself," Johnson said, referring to Comer's investigation alleges that Biden accepted $200,000 from businesses through his brother, James Biden.

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