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Outgoing President Joe Biden claimed during a meeting with Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson that he had not issued an executive order freezing new liquid natural gas (LNG) export permits, despite having done so less than a month earlier, according to Johnson. The Louisiana representative disclosed the interaction in an interview with Bari Weiss of The Free Press.
Johnson stated he did not believe Biden was intentionally lying but suggested the then-81-year-old president may have been so mentally “addled” that he “genuinely didn’t know what he had signed.”
The encounter reportedly took place in the Oval Office in early 2024 as Johnson and Biden discussed a proposed aid package for Ukraine.
Johnson described questioning Biden about the executive order’s impact on his state, which in 2023 accounted for 61% of the country’s LNG exports, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Johnson said he explained to Biden the broader implications of the decision.
“Why would you do that? You understand we just talked about Ukraine. You understand you are fueling Vladimir Putin’s war machine because they’ve got to get their gas from him,” Johnson recalled telling Biden.
Biden, according to Johnson, appeared taken aback.
“I didn’t do that,” Biden reportedly responded.
Johnson persisted, informing the president that he had paused the permits, emphasizing the resulting harm to the economy and national security. “I know. I have the export terminals in my state. I’ve talked to those people this morning. This is doing massive damage,” Johnson said he told Biden.
Despite Biden’s initial denials, Johnson claimed that the president eventually remembered signing the order, explaining it was intended merely to study the fuel’s effects.
Johnson described leaving the meeting with a sense of deep unease. “I walked out of that meeting with fear and loathing because I thought, ‘We are in serious trouble—who is running the country?’” Johnson said, adding, “I don’t know who put the paper in front of him, but he didn’t know.”
A February report in The Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous sources, also described the Oval Office exchange.
Concerns about Biden’s mental acuity have reportedly plagued his administration. A December investigation revealed White House aides had been covering up Biden’s cognitive struggles since his term began. Plans were implemented as early as January 2021 to limit his in-person interactions and adjust his daily schedules to minimize public missteps.
Biden himself acknowledged his struggles in an interview with USA Today, noting he wasn’t sure he would have had the “vigor” for another term had he won re-election, though he did not elaborate on his current condition.
The president dropped out of the 2024 race after a widely criticized debate performance against then-candidate Donald Trump, where Biden frequently stumbled over his responses, froze mid-sentence, and lost his train of thought. Following his exit, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who later lost to Trump in the November election.
The White House declined to comment on the matter.
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