Vice President Kamala Harris announced the cancellation of a major domestic trip on Friday, raising concerns about how far she can travel following a bombshell report on the declining health of President Joe Biden.

On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported on what was long alleged by conservatives: President Biden, at 81 years old, is no longer fit to lead the nation without relying heavily on aides who say they are witnessing his mental deterioration grow with each passing day. Harris had been set to travel to Los Angeles from Washington, D.C. to attend a family Christmas gathering. Guidance from her office stated Harris would instead “receive briefings and conduct internal meetings with staff” according to the Daily Mail, leading to speculation that she can’t afford to leave Biden in charge at the White House on the eve of a potential government shutdown.

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Social media users speculated that the president’s declining personal health is at play. The Journal’s report detailed how the Democrat’s public events have grown shorter and more scripted, and how staffers are now acting as go-betweens if Biden must converse with other high-ranking leaders or make decisions presented to him. One person who witnessed Biden’s “hand holding” said it had reached a level they had never seen with other recent presidents. Biden and his family returned to the White House on Thursday after holding a private ceremony in Delaware honoring the death of his first wife and daughter in a traffic accident 52 years ago.

The failure of multiple stopgap spending bills also underscores Harris’s need to remain in Washington in case she must break a tie in the Senate. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Friday presented his third iteration of a bill to prevent the government from shutting down, but he faces deep skepticism among conservative members in his own party and a blue wall of Democrats uninterested in bailing him out unless Johnson includes more spending priorities, a nonstarter for Republicans. Biden, who has kept a low profile throughout the debate, would need to be on hand to sign that package into law.

“President Biden supports the bipartisan agreement to keep the government open, help communities recovering from disasters, and lower costs—not this giveaway for billionaires that Republicans are proposing at the 11 hour,” the White House said in a statement Thursday evening.

How Harris spends her final weeks in the White House may portend her future plans and to what degree she will lean into her time working beneath a deeply unpopular incumbent. Aides suggested that she could be interested in returning to California and running for governor, a contest that takes place in 2026, or returning to the private sector in a bid to maintain her lifestyle built up after decades in public office.

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As the threat of a government shutdown looms, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was grilled Friday over President Joe Biden’s glaring absence and unwillingness to address the American people or lawmakers directly. The questions come amid growing concerns over Biden’s cognitive health, intensified by a Wall Street Journal report detailing efforts by the White House to shield him from public scrutiny.

The press briefing began with a question many Americans have been asking: Has Biden even bothered to speak to lawmakers about the spending bill, or has he checked out due to his cognitive decline? Instead of directly answering, Jean-Pierre deflected blame to Republicans.

“So let me first say this, and I know you’ve seen our statements coming from here this week about this particular issue, and we’ll just continue to reiterate that Republicans blew up this deal. They did. And they need to fix this, period,” Jean-Pierre said.

She then doubled down, accusing Republicans of playing politics. “Republicans need to stop playing politics with a government shutdown. And they are doing the bidding, they’re doing the bidding of their billionaire friends. That’s what we’re seeing at the expense of hardworking Americans,” she added.

Jean-Pierre was hounded on social media for her answer, with scores of users asking where he is during this tumultuous period on Capitol Hill.

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Reporters pressed further, demanding to know why Biden has been absent from the discussion entirely, particularly given the seriousness of the pending shutdown. Jean-Pierre again refused to explain Biden’s absence, pivoting back to partisan blame.

“What Americans need to know is that you have Republicans in Congress, in the House, who got in the way, who stopped a bipartisan agreement. They got in the way. They created this mess,” Jean-Pierre said.

She continued, “And I said this earlier when I said, and you all know this, you report this, it is not easy to get to a bipartisan agreement here in this town. And there was one. Both sides sat down, they came to an agreement, which is a good thing for the American people. We thought we were moving in that direction. And they decided to—Republicans decided to instead give space to their billionaire friends and not put the American people first. That’s what is happening. That’s what we’re seeing.”

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The press corps, however, appeared unconvinced, with multiple reporters highlighting that Biden’s silence is deafening at a time when Americans expect leadership. New details emerged this week revealing past extensive efforts by aides within the Biden administration to conceal the true state of Joe Biden’s health. A Wall Street Journal report published late Wednesday cited multiple sources within the administration who claimed that there has been a systematic approach to managing information and public appearances to downplay any concerns about Biden’s health.

Biden frequently canceled key national security meetings, with aides attributing the cancellations to his fluctuating health, noting he had “bad days and good days.” Insiders assert that close advisors have been particularly cautious about the president’s schedule. They often limit public appearances and demand strict control over media access. The report detailed an incident in which aides reportedly intervened to adjust the lighting during a press conference to make the President appear more vigorous.

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First Lady Jill Biden’s attempt at a politically correct holiday greeting was swiftly corrected by a group of young children.

The First Lady was hosting military families at the White House on Friday as part of the Marine Corps’ annual “Toys for Tots” event, a festive occasion celebrating the season of giving.

But when Jill Biden addressed the excited crowd of children with a simple, “Hello! How are you? Happy Holidays!” the response was immediate and crystal clear.

“HAPPY CHRISTMAS!” one child shouted back.

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The “Toys for Tots” program, run by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, has been providing toys and spreading Christmas cheer to families in need since 1947. The event at the White House served as a gathering for military families. For many Americans, the phrase “Merry Christmas” remains a cherished and unifying tradition, and the children’s joyful correction was seen by some as a lighthearted pushback against “woke” language.

This isn’t the first time the Biden administration has faced criticism for downplaying traditional Christmas greetings. Many have repeatedly accused the White House of pandering to political correctness rather than embracing America’s longstanding cultural traditions. The brief interaction quickly made waves on social media, where critics of the Biden administration were quick to highlight an out-of-touch and overly sanitized approach to holiday greetings.

REACTIONS:

I’m Jewish

I still say Merry Christmas.

— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) December 13, 2024

Truth: #MerryChristmas pic.twitter.com/Y7V15h6WyJ

— I Love America News (@ILA_NewsX) December 13, 2024

This is Christmas at the White House this year pic.twitter.com/M6yTkSPePh

— ENIMEMES (@ENIMEMES) December 13, 2024

pic.twitter.com/N9s5zKgrDA

— Raymond Baker (@Raymond26773481) December 13, 2024

Merry Christmas Jill Biden! pic.twitter.com/lOSuNPNUSE

— Anti Left Memes (@AntiLeftMemes) December 13, 2024