America missed out on not only a basement presidency, but a basement wheelchair presidency powered by an autopen run by who knows who. How far away were we from What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

“Biden’s physical deterioration — most apparent in his halting walk — had become so severe that there were internal discussions about putting the president in a wheelchair, but they couldn’t do so until after the election,” the authors write.

Biden aides believed it was politically untenable to have Biden use a wheelchair during his re-election campaign.

“Given Biden’s age, [his physician Kevin O’Connor] also privately said that if he had another bad fall, a wheelchair might be necessary for what could be a difficult recovery,” the authors report.

This is coming from Jake Tapper’s campaign book and its premise (and that of the entire media narrative) is that Biden’s decline was some big secret. And quotes like this bolster the idea that there was a cover-up that no one except a small inner circle knew about. The cover-up here however is the narrative.

Everyone who took one look at Biden knew his condition. And I doubt anyone would have been surprised to see him in a wheelchair from the way he was moving. The real issue isn’t the wheelchair. FDR used a wheelchair (contrary to the popular narrative, it wasn’t a secret either) but FDR was mentally with it.

A president in a wheelchair isn’t a problem. A president who lacks the mental capacity to make decisions is another matter.