Joe Biden suffered moments of “transderivational search” as he struggled on the debate stage against Donald Trump on Thursday, a behavioral expert and psychologist believes.
Speaking on behalf of OLBG, Darren Stanton says the 81-year-old’s stuttering performance in the CNN debate suggested he was mentally searching for a “fuzzy” match across a broad field as he tried to make his pitch to the American people.
He said: “Joe Biden has this tendency to wander off. In psychology, this is called a transderivational search – it’s like he’s trying to remember something but can’t find the right filing cabinet in his brain.
“He has this expression of vacancy, so appears to be half listening and half not – he seems like he’s away with the fairies. He does this quite a lot where he appears to lose his train of thought.
Stanton added: “There are moments where he seems to drift off into this Neverland train of thought.”
In one painful moment, Biden faltered when answering a question about the economy, saying: “We would be able to wipe out his debt, clear up all those things we need to do in childcare, elder care, making sure we continue to strengthen our healthcare system, making sure we’re able to make every single solitary person eligible for what I’m been able to do with dealing with everything…If we finally beat Medicare…”
Stanton, a former police officer with Derbyshire police who has appeared on the likes of BBC’s The One Show, ITV’s This Morning with Phillip, said Biden “appeared to be getting confused” during the remark, “meaning we end up with a jumbled, bizarre statement”.
He added: “Biden starts looking down to find his notes to get him back on track but he seems to have no passion, which is quite frightening.”
The White House has been approached via email for comment.
In contrast, Trump “came across very statesman-like, as he could have really put the boot in but didn’t. He let Biden do it himself,” according to Stanton.
The expert continued: “There were no facial expressions from Trump, he bit his tongue and let Biden continue to trip himself up.”
Voters were watching Biden closely during the debate in Atlanta, Georgia, as concerns grow over his age and mental acuity.
Amy Koch, former majority leader of Minnesota senate, told Daily Express US: “The Biden confusion was a bad, bad moment.”
Sources familiar with Biden’s debate preparations said he had been battling a cold in the lead-up to the debate, which could have led to his hoarse voice and confusion, CNN reported.
Trump, 78, has also faced questions about his mental acuity after a series of bizarre rants on the campaign trail, but appeared fluent and energised in last night’s head-to-head.
But he also repeated falsehoods, including on abortion, taxes and the deficit, and initially avoided answering if he would accept the result of the 2024 election if it doesn’t go in his favour.
The two candidates traded barbs about the state of the economy with Biden insisting the economy is booming, while Trump said it’s “crashing” under the Democrat’s administration.
They pair also clashed over abortion rights and Trump’s appointing of three conservative nominees to the Supreme Court, paving the way for the court’s 2022 decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.
The pair are set to face each other in a second debate, hosted by ABC, on September 10.
The network has revealed where the event could be held but has announced that it will be moderated by anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis.
Trump is yet to name his running mate, but Biden’s Vice President Kamala Harris has accepted an invitation from CBS News to debate her eventual rival in studio on either July 23 or August 13.