President Joe Biden on Thursday accidentally revealed a cheat sheet prepared by his White House aides that he follows in public to avoid the gaffes for which he has often been mocked and trolled. The gaffe-prone Biden showed a cheat sheet he always carries that includes the minutest of details such as "take YOUR seat" and to limit his remarks to "2 minutes."
However, it would have remained a secret had Biden not made yet another gaffe on Thursday when he accidentally flipped his card, which had stage directions on it informing him when to sit and when to ask questions, during a meeting with executives from the wind business in the Roosevelt Room of the White House.
Guidelines to Avoid Gaffes
On Thursday, while attending a meeting with executives from the wind business, Biden accidentally flipped the card he was holding. A photographer managed to snap the image of the document that had the minutest details about what he needs to do every time he is in public or during a particular meeting.
The prepared instructions for Biden — titled "Offshore Wind Drop-By Sequence of Events" — tell Biden to "enter the Roosevelt Room and say hello to participants."
Then, the paper says, "YOU take YOUR seat."
The typed-up note says that after reporters arrive, "YOU give brief comments (2 minutes)." It was followed with another instruction when reporters depart: "YOU ask Liz Shuler, President, AFL-CIO, a question" and then "YOU thank participants" and "YOU depart."
Interestingly, the note's author definitely wanted the guidelines to be read solely by the president because they used bold, uppercase letters to address Biden as 'YOU' rather than using the title "The President" in the note.
With the exception of when he showed photographers his personalized meeting schedule, the meeting seemed to go as expected and Biden stuck to the script.
Understandably, Biden's aides in the White House guide him on what he needs to do at every step, and one of the primary reasons behind his tendency to forget things and speak things that are out of context.
Biden Under Control
The 79-year-old Biden, who has a propensity to ramble when not strictly "on message," had clearly intended to keep the chart close to his chest while presiding over the meeting, but it was facing the cameras, allowing photographers to catch every minute detail, some of which were especially amusing.
Throughout his administration, Biden has continued to use these types of notes, and on occasion, people have given him notes in front of lots of people.
In fact, in the past, Biden's usage of staff notes on occasions has caused embarrassment for his administration. For instance, in July last year, an assistant wrote, "Sir, there is something on your chin." Additionally, Biden turned the memo to face the media and photographers.
Also, earlier this year, when Biden spoke to the media on the Ukraine war, he was made fun of for using a printed "cheat sheet" with responses to anticipated questions.
"If you weren't advocating for regime change, what did you mean? Can you clarify?" the notes read.
Another of Biden's notes read: "Is this now threatening to splinter unity with your NATO allies?"
Biden already had an answer prepared on the printed card: "No. NATO has never been more united."
According to reports, Biden has reacted angrily to staff members who have tried to control his messaging to the point where they have even contradicted his unexpected public statements without first consulting him.
After employees reportedly claimed he didn't mean what he said in March when he called for the ouster of Russian President Vladimir Putin due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Biden reportedly reminded them that he is president.
Questions have time and again been raised about his cognitive ability but the White House has time and again claimed that the 79-year-old President is doing absolutely fine. However, the cheat sheets and his repeated gaffes tell a different story.
