Fox News host wildly claims Biden wears a mask to hide ‘decline’ from journalists

‘Maybe they just don’t want to show how badly he’s declining, I mean I can’t understand him’

Kayleigh McEnany made an appearance on Fox News on Thursday morning to attack President Joe Biden in advance of his first official press conference with claims that he is mentally unfit for office.

The former Trump White House press secretary joined her new colleagues at the network as a guest on Fox & Friends to push the narrative that the president is unwell, scripted, and overly stage-managed.

At one point Ms McEnany agreed with the wild accusation by host Rachel Campos-Duffy that Mr Biden wears a face mask and has not met with Republicans in an effort by the White House to hide his mental decline.

“I can barely understand what he’s saying with the mask on,” Ms Campos-Duffy claimed. “I don’t know if that’s on purpose or what we talked earlier about how he hasn’t met with the Republican side, sometimes I wonder, maybe it’s something he doesn’t want to work together or pretend like he’s working together with them. Maybe they just don’t want to show how badly he’s declining, I mean I can’t understand him.”

She added: “And there’s, there seems to be such little access, and they know that we have these questions. What else could be the reason?”

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Ms McEnany nodded her agreement.

Ostensibly, the former White House press secretary was a guest on the show to bring insight into preparations for a presidential press conference.

She spoke of her experience with former President Donald Trump, saying he needed very little coaching before answering questions from the press and was always happy to have cameras present — even when meeting with opposition figures such as Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Of Mr Biden she said: “I think he’s prepared to just entirely ignore whatever is asked of him, and to pivot.”

Later, in response to Ms Campos-Duffy’s speculation about the president’s mental health, Ms McEnany said: “It’s a scripted presidency, it’s a soundbite presidency.”

She continued to say that Mr Biden’s speeches are kept short and his time for questions afterward is very limited. Ms McEnany also suggested that the president has not gone ahead with a joint address to Congress for the same reason.

“‘Can he do it?’ I think is the question that we’re all asking, and today is going to be a big test for President Biden — his biggest yet at least when it comes to public relations,” she added.

Ms McEnany frequently battled with reporters in her time as press secretary and despite her initial pledge to never lie from the podium, was frequently called out for exactly that by members of the White House press corps.

As the oldest person to serve as president, with a history of gaffes during his time as vice president and senator, Mr Biden’s first scheduled encounter with the press is much anticipated.

In questioning his mental acumen and fitness for office by claiming a cover-up of alleged mental decline, Ms McEnany and members of the on-air talent at Fox News may well be lowering the bar to the point of aiding perceptions of Mr Biden’s performance.