Questions about President Biden’s age and fitness for office have recently come to the forefront, even in liberal publications. Fortunately, the American people have been making their own judgments for quite a while now. But during the 2020 election, i.e. when it actually mattered, those questions were considered off limits. Ronny Jackson, who served as the White House doctor under President Obama and President Trump was one of the first people with some insight on the question to suggest Biden might have a problem. In February of 2020 he tweeted this:

Remember the cognitive test I gave @realDonaldTrump? The one he aced! Sounds like somebody else might need some testing done!! Scary!! https://t.co/MhantZoHIy

— Ronny Jackson (@RonnyJacksonTX) February 25, 2020

Jackson, who is now a congressional representative in Texas, got a lot of blowback for that observation at the time. What we didn’t know until today is that one of the people who responded was former President Obama.

Within 20 minutes of that tweet, Jackson received a “scathing” email from President Obama.

“I have made a point of not commenting on your service in my successor’s administration and have always spoken highly of you both in public and in private. You always served me and my family well, and I have considered you not only a fine doctor and service member but also a friend,” Obama wrote in the email.

“That’s why I have to express my disappointment at the cheap shot you took at Joe Biden via Twitter. It was unprofessional and beneath the office that you once held. It was also disrespectful to me and the many friends you had in our administration. You were the personal physician to the President of the United States as well as an admiral in the U.S. Navy. I expect better, and I hope upon reflection that you will expect more of yourself in the future,” Obama told Jackson.

Jackson said he was flustered by the note and uncertain how to respond. He had a phone number for Obama and thought about calling him but then after considering it some more, he decided not to respond at all.

“So, upon reflection, I thought, You know what? Screw that guy! I’m not doing it,” Jackson wrote. “I just walked away from it, which was the last time I had any contact with [Obama],” Jackson wrote. Obama did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

“It’s awfully ironic now, considering [Biden’s mental fitness] is all anyone, including the liberal media, can talk about,” Jackson told Fox News Digital.

It’s impossible to know exactly why Obama sent that note. Was it respect for his former VP or just concern about his party regaining the White House? Either way, Obama’s demand that the subject remain off limits sounded high-minded at the time but was actually a big mistake for his party. You can use your power and influence to silence people and keep the media from touching an awkward topic but eventually the truth comes out.

Two and a half years later, nearly two-thirds of Americans (62%) think Biden is too old for the job and a majority (53%) doubt that he is mentally fit. Both of those numbers would be higher if not for stubborn partisanship from Democrats who refuse to admit the obvious. When your staff has to rearrange the President’s schedule on his need to get some rest, he’s too old for the job.

The fact that Biden is still talking about running for a 2nd term 2 years from now means not talking about this now is actually dangerous. There’s very little chance Biden will be physically and mentally capable of doing this job six years from now and even Democrats seem to know it. But regardless of who runs in 2024, we’ve still got 2 more years with Joe Biden and there’s really no hope things are going to get better over that time.