5 likely choices for who really ran the disastrous Biden White House

For years, conservative media, lawmakers and talking heads have been sounding the alarm about President Joe Biden’s cognitive free fall. And for years, left-wing media, lawmakers and their loyal mouthpieces waved it off with the same condescending dismissal — accusing us of lying, fear-mongering or worse. Some even went so far as to say they couldn’t keep up with Biden’s supposed brilliance and jam-packed schedule of what was mostly just one morning briefing and two mid-afternoon naps. 

Fast-forward to the post-presidency. Now that Biden has shuffled out of office, left-wing media seems to be waking up to the glaringly obvious. The New York Times of all places — yes, the same paper that acted as Biden’s PR firm — has revealed that he relied on teleprompters during intimate fundraisers in private homes. At events where he was supposed to come across as casual and personable, he needed scripted prompts. Donors weren’t exactly brimming with confidence. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson dropped a bombshell about a January 2024 meeting in which Biden was apparently stunned to learn he had signed an executive order halting liquefied natural gas exports just weeks earlier. He repeatedly denied even knowing about it. Johnson believed Biden didn’t know what he signed, leaving him with a terrifying question: ‘Who is running the country?’ 

Spoiler alert: It wasn’t Biden. And to answer Johnson’s question, there are at least five shadowy figures who might have been behind the wheel — or rather, letting the car roll downhill with no one on the brakes. 

1. Former President Barack Obama 

Remember when former President Barack Obama joked in a 2020 interview with Stephen Colbert that he’d love a third term where he could play puppet master while someone else carried out his orders? Well, guess what — he may as well have been describing the Biden presidency. 

The continuity of Obama-era policies under Biden is glaring. Biden’s radical economic and climate boondoggles — like Build Back Better and The Inflation Reduction Act — weren’t just echoes of Obama’s agenda; they were carbon copies, with Biden playing the role of a less convincing understudy. Biden’s own ‘Obamacare’ albatross was just as disastrous, except this time it was painted green, cost even more, and led to an inflation nightmare. 

And let’s not forget the Afghanistan withdrawal fiasco, which had Obama’s fingerprints all over it. The same architects of Obama-era failures were in charge, bungling timelines and ignoring warnings. Meanwhile, Biden seemed to be caught off guard at every turn, surprised by how the plan unfolded — because he probably wasn’t the one pulling the strings. Who were Biden’s Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and CIA Director William Burns actually answering to? 

Obama wasn’t exactly subtle about staying in the picture. He was offering Biden advice, headlining White House events, and reportedly holding closed-door meetings with key officials. By 2023, when Biden’s mental decline became increasingly difficult to camouflage, Politico openly wondered, ‘Is Barack Obama Ready To Reassert Himself?’ He might have been asserting himself the entire time, or at least nudging the wheel while Biden tried to figure out where the car keys were. 

2. First Lady Jill Biden 

The first lady was Joe Biden’s handler, coach and babysitter. Jill Biden’s influence on Joe’s decision-making has been an open secret for years, starting with his decision to run for president in 2020, even though close advisers reportedly warned he didn’t have the stamina for a grueling campaign.  

When Joe Biden’s promise to be a one-term president came up, and Democrats began eyeing the door for their next candidate, it was Jill who convinced him to run for re-election — despite what she had to know about his obvious decline. Was this about his legacy, or was it just a desperate power grab? 

After Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump, where he looked more confused than commanding, Jill delivered the kind of praise that would make North Korean propagandists blush: ‘You answered every question! You knew all the facts!’  

It was as believable as former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas telling us the border was secure while we watched videos showing illegal immigrants streaming across it. Mayorkas lied to protect an agenda; Jill lied to protect her husband’s image — and her own grip on influence. 

Remember the infamous photo of her sitting in the president’s chair on Air Force One while ‘prepping for the G7 Summit’? Or how she led a cabinet meeting last September? Since when does the first lady run cabinet meetings? Jill was stepping in when her husband was disengaged, disoriented or otherwise absent — a role that feels more like acting president than loving partner. 

3. Chief of Staff Jeff Zients 

Biden’s Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, often called a ‘fixer,’ quietly emerged as one of the most powerful figures in the administration. Zients’ influence was evident during the early stages of the pandemic, when he spearheaded the COVID-19 response team. Since then, his role has expanded, effectively making him the behind-the-scenes manager of the White House with a president who didn’t grasp what was really going on. 

Zients played a crucial part in shaping and managing the administration’s day-to-day agenda, including overseeing staffing decisions and ensuring execution of Biden’s initiatives. He recruited a third deputy chief of staff, Natalie Quillian, to implement the administration’s initiatives, but the move was internally controversial, ruffling feathers of those who saw her as Zients’ enforcer as the ‘bad cop.’   

Given Zients’ reputation as a detail-oriented manager with significant control over White House operations, it’s certainly plausible that he orchestrated the signing of the executive order halting liquefied natural gas exports, ensuring it aligned with his broader environmental or economic goals without requiring Biden’s deep engagement. 

4. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan

His role as national security advisor positioned him as a key figure in the Biden administration, but given the president’s cognitive abilities, it may have been simply calling the shots. Too bad he wasn’t very successful. 

Sullivan was instrumental in orchestrating major policies, such as the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, where he managed the planning process. Sullivan was so involved that it caught the attention of Congressman Mike McCaul, who demanded Sullivan testify in front of a House committee. He also played a significant role in shaping the administration’s industrial strategy, promoting policies to protect U.S. manufacturing and counter China’s technological advancements. 

Given these substantial responsibilities and his central role in formulating and implementing policy, it’s plausible that Sullivan functioned as a de facto leader within the administration, especially given Biden’s capacity to govern.  

5. A purple-haired 24-year-old intern who moonlights as a TikTok influencer 

The radical shift in gender and race policies under the Biden administration screams of a progressive activist completely out of touch with mainstream America. 

Biden’s decision to let biological males compete in women’s sports — signed as an executive order on day one — showcases the extreme agenda of far-left influencers. Add to that the administration’s push for critical race theory training across federal agencies and its abandonment of meritocracy for race- and gender-conscious hiring.  

These policies feel like they were dreamed up by a 24-year-old progressive fresh out of college, fresh off a ‘gap year’ funded by their parents while they ‘roughed it’ in luxury hotels across Europe. 

Then there’s the White House’s reliance on TikTok and X influencers like Harry Sisson and Chris Mowrey. Watching influencers awkwardly dance while professing their love for an octogenarian president wasn’t just embarrassing — it was a window into who’s really shaping the administration’s messaging.  

The first lady was Joe Biden’s handler, coach and babysitter. Jill Biden’s influence on Joe’s decision-making has been an open secret for years, starting with his decision to run for president in 2020, even though close advisers reportedly warned he didn’t have the stamina for a grueling campaign.  

What kind of adult turns to TikTok twerps for serious promotion? Probably another TikTok twerp with access to Biden’s social media accounts. This cringe-worthy reliance on influencers reflects a radicalized youth presence in the White House, wielding outsized influence over both policy and messaging. 

The Rejects 

Could Vice President Kamala Harris really have been running the show? Unlikely. She treated her VP title the same way she handled her border czar role — loving the prestige while doing next to nothing. As for Hunter Biden, he may have had influence, but running a shadow presidency while hawking finger paintings for Oval Office access? That’s a full-time job all on its own. And actor George Clooney? Sure, he ended Biden’s presidency with one editorial, but let’s be real — would someone who wields that kind of influence give up power so easily? Doubt it.