Biden's even shorter work day: How White House aides are narrowing his schedule to 'manage his stamina'... and prevent more gaffes
- Biden's team is scheduling his meetings and events in an even narrower window
- All public calls have taken place between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.
- READ MORE: LIVE coverage of Biden's surprise appearance in the briefing room
President Joe Biden's team is scheduling his meetings and events in an even narrower window in an effort to 'manage his stamina,' Axios said in a report Friday.
The news organization has tracked the 81-year-old president's schedule since his July 21st decision to bow out of the presidential race.
What reporters found is that all publicly scheduled calls and meetings with world leaders - except one - have taken place between the hours of 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The president also hasn't had public events scheduled in 43 of the last 75 days, what the publication attributed to his age constraints and his unpopularity.
The Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, has only campaigned alongside Biden once, though they've had several joint appearances at the White House since the president dropped out.
President Joe Biden 's team is scheduling his meetings and events in an even narrower window in an effort to 'manage his stamina,' Axios reported on Friday
The 81-year-old president is aware that his poll numbers could limit his use on the campaign trail ahead of the election
Biden's scheduling limitations became part of the narrative in the weeks following his disastrous June 27 debate performance.
Aides said that Biden was reliably alert during the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. and more likely to get fatigued - and mispeak - outside those hours.
Biden's Atlanta debate against former President Donald Trump was scheduled for 9 p.m. in order to accommodate west coast viewers.
Afterward, the president tried to reassure a group of Democratic governors that he was up to the job by saying he would stop scheduling events past 8 p.m.
Axios reported that some aides and allies have said they believe the 81-year-old has deteriorated more rapidly in recent months under the stress of the job and due to his son Hunter's legal problems.
The White House disputed that reporting.
Beyond being the country's oldest president, Biden remains unpopular.
His approval rating only ticked up a few points after he pulled out of the race - despite polling generally showing that Americans approved of the move - and he now sits at 40. 6 percent, according to FiveThirtyEight.com's tracker.
That's lower than Trump's four years ago ahead of the Republican president's White House loss and amid his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Biden's unpopularity means that it's not politically advantageous to have him stand in for Harris in swing states that he previously won.
Even in Pennsylvania, his birthplace, Biden isn't currently campaigning for his VP - though he'll be heading to Philadelphia next week to stump for Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey.
Axios reported that the president has conceded that he's not popular and will do whatever Harris' team wants him to do to help her win - including stay away.
But his scheduling constraints have also tainted plans that could be politically beneficial, with the publication reporting that White House aides wanted to bring in the University of Michigan's championship-winning football team but they couldn't fit the event on Biden's schedule
The more popular first lady Jill Biden hasn't done a solo campaign trip in support of Harris either.
She was supposed to do a fundraiser in Paris during her trip in late July to the Olympic Games, but that was scrapped due to Biden dropping out of the race.
When second gentleman Doug Emhoff led the delegation to the Olympics' closing ceremony he stepped in and did the fundraiser instead.
A person familiar with Dr. Biden's schedule told Axios that she's 'planning a campaign travel swing through battleground states during her fall break from teaching.'
'Details will be rolled out soon,' the source said.
