Dr. Keith Ablow, a psychiatrist and former contributor to Fox News, expressed that he was not taken aback by Joe Biden’s performance in his tumultuous debate against President Trump last year. This sentiment comes after Ablow controversially suggested over ten years prior that the previous president appeared to exhibit signs of dementia.
In a conversation with “Pod Force One” host Miranda Devine, Ablow shared that he sensed something was off with Biden as early as 2012 when he squared off against Republican Paul Ryan in a vice presidential debate characterized by Biden’s frequent laughter and interruptions.
“As a psychiatrist, one of the skills I’ve developed is listening to my instincts while engaging with others, which helps me process information more effectively,” Ablow mentioned, noting that he later provided support for Biden’s son, Hunter.
“In that moment, I questioned, ‘Why am I feeling uneasy? What’s unsettling here?’ My impression while watching Biden was that his performance felt staccato and brittle, not merely due to his debating style but specifically because his interruptions felt excessive and clumsy, and his laughter seemed out of place,” Ablow reflected on Biden’s interaction with Ryan.
“Given that, I thought, what could explain this? I mentioned on Fox News that one possibility—while clarifying that I hadn’t evaluated him and wasn’t offering a diagnosis—was that certain behaviors could indicate a degree of dementia,” he explained.
Ablow’s comments during an appearance on “Fox & Friends” received backlash from various left-leaning media outlets and critics like “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart.
“I might have been one of the first people to suggest that [Biden] could be experiencing some memory issues,” he stated.
“That was my instinct at the time,” he reiterated.
Ablow pointed out that he first raised concerns about Biden’s apparent mental decline during a post-debate discussion with Roger Ailes, the former chairman of Fox News, who prompted him to consider making a public statement.
“Following that debate, I had a chance discussion with Roger Ailes, and he inquired about my opinion of Biden’s performance. I expressed my apprehension regarding a possible impairment, and he suggested I might want to share those thoughts on air,” Ablow recounted.
While recognizing that Biden, now 82 years old, is known for using “laughter as a strategy,” Ablow remarked that during the debate with Ryan, his laughter seemed “misplaced.”
He speculated that Biden’s hesistant performance in the debate against Trump twelve years later could indicate “possibly ongoing issues with cognition.”
“I can’t say definitively, but it was predictable to me as I had noticed signs long ago,” he concluded.
