Can Biden handle an incoming nuclear missile aimed at the US after 8PM? Find out what the White House said

What happens if there is an incoming nuclear missile aimed at the US at 11PM? Will US President Joe Biden be able to function at this time of the evening? This was a question posed by a member of the press to the White House Press Secretary. Her response only invited more unanswered questions. This question was aimed at assessing Biden’s cognitive health. Axios had earlier reported that Biden was active only from 11am-4pm and the cognitive decline set in after this period and during his foreign tours. Recently, Biden has told many of the legislators and his supporters that he has to sleep early and had asked them not to schedule events after 8PM.

White House’s response:

The Senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy, representing Fox News asked the press secretary if hypothetically the Pentagon were to receive inputs of an incoming nuke at 11 pm, who would be called to respond and will the first lady be called?

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Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded that the president had a team that would let him know of critical events and those that are important to the American people. She added the National Security Council briefs the president regularly.

Role of the First Lady:

The press secretary ruled out the presence of First Lady Jill Biden in the official meetings conducted by the president. She added that only the president who is the Commander in Chief took all the important decisions.

It was also added that as per the US Constitution only the President was authorized to deal with subjects pertaining to nuclear weapons and the authorization to deploy them.

Biden’s continuation in office:

This question was asked keeping in mind the president’s health and more specifically his ‘cognitive health.’ There are many questions that are continuing to be raised on Biden’s fitness and his continuance in office. Further, many of the Democrats have called on the President to step down and not contest the upcoming presidential election in November.

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Joe Biden has on multiple occasions written to the Democratic legislators as well as to the donors that he does not intend to step down as the candidate of the Democratic Party and he also expressed his confidence at winning the upcoming election.

FAQs

Does the US Constitution authorize the president as the sole official to authorize the use of nuclear arsenal?
The US Constitution does not directly empower the president. Article 2 Section 2 Clause 1 states that the US President is the Commander in Chief of the US Armed Forces. This empowers him to authorize the use of nuclear arsenal. There are other enabling legislations too.

What has Biden said about his health condition?
He has asked his party members and legislators not to schedule any event after 8PM. He stressed that he has to sleep early.