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A Northeast Ohio native who served as a top advisor to Joe Biden has found himself at the center of Washington’s firestorm – and a Today in Ohio episode -- over the former president’s cognitive abilities, delivering testimony that not only defended Biden but turned the spotlight on Donald Trump’s own mental fitness. Steve Ricchetti, 68, a Westlake native who advised Biden both as vice president and president, spent six hours before the House Oversight Committee discussing Biden’s cognitive state. But rather than conceding the Republican narrative, Richetti fired back with a comparison that has largely escaped media attention - that Trump’s current state is far more concerning. “He kept pointing out in the story that we’re facing somebody with a much more deteriorated brain now in Donald Trump than we are in Joe Biden,” explained Chris Quinn during the Today in Ohio podcast. “Trump used to make jokes about sleepy Joe Biden, but he cannot stay awake for his own press conferences... And this guy makes a good case that actually things are worse now, that the things that Donald Trump says, it’s absolute gibberish.” Ricchetti acknowledged Biden’s age was indeed a factor, particularly during the 2020 debate when cognitive issues became apparent. However, he maintained that Biden “remained fully in command throughout his term” and insisted that “we all believe that he was doing a good job.” The longtime advisor contextualized Biden’s occasional lapses as normal human behavior, not signs of serious impairment. “Biden certainly made mistakes, most of them common,” Lisa Garvin noted from Ricchetti’s testimony. “How many people of that age or younger even forget names... he says it’s normal human behavior.” The Westlake native’s defense goes beyond mere loyalty. He cited Biden’s work schedule and work product as concrete evidence of competence. When questioned about Biden’s disastrous debate performance last year - the event that ultimately led to his withdrawal from the 2024 race - Ricchetti attributed it primarily to illness, noting Biden had a cold and “was starting to feel kind of bad.” Richetti’s testimony raises the uncomfortable question that has haunted American politics in recent years: “Maybe what we ought to do is have a constitutional amendment that limits the age of presidents,” said Chris Quinn. “We have one for how young they can’t be. And maybe we ought to cap the age, because in both of these cases, there clearly was less cognitive ability than there was when they were more dynamic people.” The contrast Ricchetti draws between the two presidents challenges the narrative that has dominated right-wing media for years. While Republicans have relentlessly questioned Biden’s mental acuity, Richetti suggests Americans should be far more concerned about the cognitive state of the man currently leading the country - one who famously mocked “Sleepy Joe” but now struggles to remain alert during his own events. For Northeast Ohio residents, there’s a local connection to this national story that goes beyond politics - a hometown figure standing in the crucible of Washington, defending not just his boss but also challenging Americans to look more critically at the current occupant of the Oval Office. Listen to the discussion here. Read more Today in Ohio news Cleveland’s $2 million annual loss on Browns stadium: City is better off without the team How Ohio murder suspects could escape justice by simply refusing to take their medicine Inside the increasingly nasty turf war between Cuyahoga County’s top elected officials
