Biden's age back in focus after spl counsel report, verbal flubs

President Biden's age and leadership abilities are under fresh scrutiny after a special counsel report on his handling of classified materials said he presented himself as an "elderly man with a poor memory", and after he repeatedly confused the names of past and present European leaders at campaign events this week.

- Ken Thomas

As he seeks a second term, the 81-year-old president has been dogged by questions about his age, with polling showing that a majority of Americans have concerns about his advanced years.

His aides have sought to show him as vigorous and up to the job, but the report and his verbal flubs this week suggest his age remains a liability for his campaign. An investigation released Thursday by special counsel Robert Hur, a former US attorney from Maryland during the Trump administration, said that no criminal charges were warranted against Biden but noted he was careless in holding on to classified documents from his time as vice president.

The report portrayed the president as having "diminished faculties in advancing age," and displaying a "faulty memory" in interviews with investigators. In combative remarks at the White House Thursday night, Biden pushed back against the report's characterization of his recollections. "My memory is fine. Take a look at what I've done since I've become president," Biden said. He appeared incensed when he noted the special counsel had asked about the death of his son, Beau Biden, saying, "it wasn't any of their damn business."

But his appearance included an additional flub when discussing the potential for a hostage deal in Gaza, in which he referred to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah AI Sisi as "the president of Mexico."

Democrats accused Hur of a politically motivated hit-job, drawing parallels to former FBI Director James Comey's decision to recommend that Hillary Clinton not be prosecuted in 2016 over her use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state but still accuse her of sloppily handling classified informa tion. Jim Messina, a former adviser to President Obama, wrote on X that Hur "didn't have a case against Biden, but he knew exactly how his swipes could hurt Biden politically."