Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., is renewing criticism of former President Joe Biden's mental fitness, suggesting it may have affected U.S. foreign policy during his term.
Kennedy told the New York Post's "Pod Force One" podcast that Biden's handling of international crises, including the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, reflected a loss of clarity and control that adversaries may have interpreted as weakness.
"I remember when [Russian President Vladimir] Putin was lined up on the Ukrainian border. Biden said, 'If it's a small incursion, it might be OK.'"
"I'm thinking, holy Moses, that's an invitation," Kennedy said.
He said the off-script comment sent the wrong message at a critical moment.
"He just started rambling: Afghanistan. The Nord Stream 2 sanctions. Iran's oil."
"It all added up to weakness, and dictators noticed."
Kennedy said Biden's decline was visible to anyone watching closely.
"They saw a president who didn't have a clean grasp on all of his faculties."
"They saw weakness, and they made their move. That's how Ukraine started," he added.
Even some Democrats later acknowledged concern about Biden, who turns 83 on Nov. 20.
"There's no doubt about it … the debate is whether [his cognitive decline] was enough that it compromised his ability to act as chief executive," Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., told Politico.
Medical experts have also questioned the White House's refusal to conduct a formal cognitive test.
"Sometimes those closest to the tree miss the forest," said Jeffrey Kuhlman, a former White House physician, The Washington Post reported.
A Newsweek report citing Biden insiders said he had experienced "marked incidents of cognitive decline and physical infirmity" during his final months in office.
Kennedy said he met with Biden early in his presidency and found him disengaged.
"He wanted to tell war stories and talk about the good old days," he said. "Then he wanted some hot soup and an early bedtime."
"My people back home in Louisiana would ask, 'Who's really the president?'" Kennedy added. "And I'd tell them, whoever has control of that teleprompter."
Kennedy, 73, said he doubts Biden was working more than three hours a day by the end of his term.
"To paraphrase a Louisiana governor," he joked, "it would take him an hour and a half to watch '60 Minutes.'"
His remarks come as Kennedy's new book, "How to Test Negative for Stupid," hits shelves and as debate over Biden's mental fitness continues to spark discussion in Washington.
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