Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna has publicly acknowledged that President Biden was “not in a condition” to run for reelection, contradicting his earlier defenses of the president’s mental fitness.

At a Glance

• Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) stated it’s “obvious now” that former President Biden was not fit to run for reelection
• Khanna previously defended Biden’s cognitive abilities but now admits he lacked “the full picture”
• His comments follow revelations in a new book by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’s Alex Thompson
• The congressman suggested Democrats should have held an open primary instead
• Biden’s team has rejected claims of cognitive decline as false

Khanna Reverses Course on Biden’s Cognitive Fitness

California Democratic Representative Ro Khanna, once a surrogate for President Biden’s 2024 campaign, has made a dramatic reversal regarding the former president’s mental capacity. Khanna now plainly states that Biden “was not in a condition” to seek reelection, a striking admission from within Democratic ranks. The congressman’s comments came after revelations in a forthcoming book that details Biden’s alleged cognitive decline during his presidency and the effort within his inner circle to conceal it from the public and even Cabinet members.

Khanna’s assessment comes amid broader Democratic reflection following Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race after his disastrous debate performance against former President Donald Trump. The congressman now admits the party erred in backing Biden’s reelection bid despite apparent signs of decline. His statements have gained particular attention as they represent a rare acknowledgment from a Democratic official about concerns that Republicans had raised for years but that Biden’s allies routinely dismissed as partisan attacks.

Democrats say they're sorry for lying about Biden's dementia, but no one believes lies like this:

"Rep. Ro Khanna (D-California), an outspoken supporter of Biden before he ended his reelection campaign last summer, acknowledged in a statement to The Washington Post on Wednesday… pic.twitter.com/tqsTL28yKn

— Steve Milloy (@JunkScience) May 15, 2025

Limited Information and Changed Perspective

When confronted with his previous defenses of Biden’s cognitive abilities, Khanna maintained he was truthful based on his limited interactions with the president. During an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “The Story,” host Martha MacCallum challenged Khanna with clips of him describing Biden as “fully coherent” earlier in 2024. Khanna explained that his previous assessment was based on minimal personal contact with the president, consisting of just “two times on rope lines and at public events.”

The congressman cited reporting from CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’s Alex Thompson’s upcoming book, “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again,” as providing crucial information that changed his perspective. According to excerpts, Biden’s Cabinet was largely kept at arm’s length during the latter part of his term, with only close advisers and family members having regular access to the president. This arrangement potentially enabled a small circle to shield Biden’s deteriorating condition from wider scrutiny.

Call for Democratic Primary Process

Beyond acknowledging Biden’s condition, Khanna criticized Democratic leadership for not allowing an open primary process that would have given voters a choice. He suggested that a more transparent approach would have better served both the party and the country. Despite his criticism of the decision to back Biden’s reelection bid, Khanna notably refrained from blaming Biden’s inner circle for failing to prevent him from running, a position some might find puzzling given the gravity of his claims.

“I was, I had met him a few times at public events, and he was, but of course, I didn’t have the full picture. I mean, I met him maybe two times on rope lines and at public events.”, said Rep. Ro Khanna.

The Biden camp has strongly pushed back against these characterizations. A spokesperson for the former president criticized the book’s claims, asserting there is no evidence that Biden was unable to perform his presidential duties. Biden himself denied experiencing significant cognitive decline during his time in office during a recent appearance on “The View.” Fox News Digital reported reaching out to Joe and Jill Biden’s office for comment but received no response to Khanna’s remarks.