Former chief medical adviser to the United States President Dr. Anthony Fauci dodged questions about Joe Biden’s health after the president’s disturbing performances during the debate.
CBS anchor Major Garrett asked Fauci on Tuesday if he saw anything during the debate that “medically alarmed” him.
The pandemic patriarch denied it, saying, “You know, I can’t say that.”
“I don’t think it’s appropriate to say that, Major, because if you just look at someone once, you just don’t know what can happen,” Fauci said.
However, the doctor did suggest that medications could be the cause of Biden’s drowsy behavior.
“Did he have a bad cold? Did he take an antihistamine to make him drowsy or something? We don’t know what happened,” Fauci continued.
Antihistamines, the drug Fauci mentioned, are often used to relieve allergies and cold and flu symptoms. Benadryl and Claritin are popular versions of the drug in the U.S.
Some drugs are known to make users drowsy. Fauci suggests this may have happened while Biden was on stage during his debate performance.
And Biden himself even admitted that he almost fell asleep on stage.
The 81-year-old president made the admission Tuesday night during a fundraiser in the posh Virginia suburb of McLean, Washington DC.
He told the audience he was “not very smart” because he “traveled around the world a couple of times” before his televised confrontation with former President Donald Trump.
Biden traveled to France twice in a row for the D-Day commemoration and then to Italy for the G7 in June.
“I decided to travel around the world a couple of times… shortly before the debate… I didn’t listen to my staff… and then I almost fell asleep on the podium,” the president said.
President Joe Biden speaks during a presidential debate with Republican nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump, in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 27, 2024. Critics immediately began questioning Biden’s health and whether the 81-year-old is fit for duty after the event.
Former President Donald Trump mocked Biden for his age and vague answers during the debate
After his return, the President went on vacation to his vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
Biden then spent a full week at the presidential retreat Camp David resting and preparing for the debate.
On Tuesday, The New York Times reported that Biden was so exhausted from traveling that his advisers shortened his debate preparation by two days so he could still have time for the beach getaway.
At Camp David, debate prep didn’t start until 11 a.m., and Biden was given time to nap each afternoon.
The president made it clear during his campaign rally on Tuesday that his travels are “not an excuse but an explanation.”
Fauci also agreed, saying his prognosis on Biden’s health would be inaccurate because the debate was too short to give an accurate assessment.
Since the debate, a number of Democratic lawmakers have called on Biden to withdraw from the race or have openly admitted they believe Trump will unseat him.
“I think it would be unfair and inappropriate to try to make a diagnosis based on just a 90-minute clip,” he said.
Then the doctor said the same phrase that many leading Democrats have used about the debate: “It just seemed like a bad night.”
“I have to say my interactions with him have been very, very positive,” Fauci added.