White House guests recount concerns after seeing Biden weeks before debate: 'What we witnessed was troubling'

For weeks, President Joe Biden and his allies have sought to move on from his halting June 27 presidential debate performance by dismissing it as just a "bad night" and insisting that it would not happen again. But some who attended a concert at the White House just weeks before say that Biden's debate performance only "confirmed" the exact opposite for them.

Multiple people who attended an event celebrating Juneteenth at the White House last month -- just 17 days before the debate -- told ABC News in interviews that they had concerns about President Biden after personally watching him at that event, and they say others they spoke with who were also in attendance did as well.

"We didn't know quite what to make of it, but we thought that it was different and that it was -- he seemed altered," said state Rep. Ron Reynolds, a Democrat from Texas, in an interview with ABC News.

Together, the individuals ABC News spoke with -- which include state lawmakers and a former Obama White House official -- described Biden at the event as "aloof" and "stiff" and his speech as "garbled." One lawmaker said her assessment of the president at the event came after she had privately raised concerns to White House staffers months before -- jokingly saying they could keep the president "stitched together" until the election.

Reynolds would soon become one of the first Democrats to call for Biden to withdraw from the race after watching the debate against former President Donald Trump.

"Having seen him on the debate stage, it was characteristic of what I witnessed that evening at the White House," Reynolds told ABC News. "Unfortunately, it reminded me that it was maybe not a one-off or just a bad night."

A White House spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News.

The sentiment from some attendees that evening, which has not previously been reported, offers the latest example of the internal concerns that appear to have been brewing for some within the party. It comes after actor George Clooney on Wednesday called for Biden to leave the race after his own personal experience with him hosting a fundraiser.

"It's devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fund-raiser was not the Joe 'big F-ing deal' Biden of 2010," Clooney wrote in a guest essay for The New York Times. "He wasn't even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate."

Clips of Biden appearing to freeze while in the front row of the White House Juneteenth concert -- while others noticeably danced around him -- ultimately went viral on social media, with some videos garnering millions of views.

A White House spokesperson at the time pushed back on those circulating the clips, telling one media outlet that Republicans were "falsely claim[ing] someone who never stops moving in a clip 'froze' because they simply weren't dancing. There are others in the video doing the same."

Others in attendance at the concert also dismissed concerns over the viral moment. Texas county commissioner Tommy Calvert told ABC News in an interview that he "didn't make anything" of it, noting Biden's rigorous travel schedule.

"We don't hire a president to dance on the beat with Charlie Wilson and Patti LaBelle," Calvert said. "We hire a president to get the job done for the American people. And, you know, I think that's what Biden is doing."

State Rep. Felicia Robinson of Florida said she didn't personally interact with Biden, but "I saw him and he was fine." Comedian Roy Wood Jr., who hosted the event, said he didn't have lengthy interactions with Biden but that he "didn't notice anything."

"We had a great conversation," said one of the night's performers, Raheem DeVaughn, recounting his time with Biden backstage. "We had a conversation, we were laughing, we were joking, we were talking. He was excited."

Another attendee, who formerly worked in the Obama administration, said the viral moment of Biden appearing to freeze didn't bother him -- but Biden's brief remarks on stage at the event did. He said they were "concerning" to him and others nearby.

"He was garbled and low energy, and he didn't look great," said the former Obama official, who agreed to speak if ABC News did not name them so they could speak freely.

"I've seen him stutter, it wasn't that. It wasn't messing a word up, which happens to all of us," the attendee said. "It was more just really low energy, garbled words, hard to understand, and he spoke super briefly because it was clear he was just not up to it that day."

The former official said concerns about Biden "absolutely" became a topic of conversation at the event. "People around us were immediately, like, 'Oof,'" the ex-official said.

The former official also echoed the sentiment that seeing Biden's debate performance made them think back to that night at the White House.

"I thought, 'Oh man, is there something more going on? Are they giving him enough rest? What's the issue?'" the attendee said. "It was like, well shoot, maybe there's more going on. It absolutely crossed my mind."

Reynolds also said he discussed what he witnessed at the debate with two friends who also attended the White House event.

"We both said, 'Yeah, now we know that what we saw ... we weren't crazy, right?'" Reynolds recounted of the two separate conversations. "We both formed the same conclusion that what we witnessed was troubling."

Alabama state Rep. Juandalynn Givan told ABC News that she has attended multiple events with President Biden over the past year -- including the Juneteenth event-- and that she has observed noticeable changes in the president.

"I've seen the president four times physically, right in his immediate presence ... had an opportunity to talk with him," Givan told ABC News. "I notice the person who is aging ... and I did notice some subtleties."

Despite her observations, Givan said she ultimately would support Biden as the nominee if he remains in the race, regardless of the president's condition.

"I'm a Democrat. I'm going to vote for Biden ... if he has on a diaper, if he's in a stroller," said Givan. "But am I concerned? Absolutely. But if I have to give consideration to Biden or Donald Trump, I'm voting for Biden."

Although Givan, who also hosted a reception in 2023 alongside Vice President Kamala Harris, says she remains a dedicated Democrat who will support the party's ticket regardless of the candidate, she expressed doubts about the Biden campaign's efforts.

Prior to the Juneteenth event, Givan said she grew concerned after observing a decline in Biden's performance during her visits, leading her to privately voice her concerns to White House staff members.

"Last August, I expressed my concern to some staffers," Givan said. "I did say, you know, hey, we got to make sure that the president -- we can keep him stitched together until November."

Givan told ABC News she was disappointed when her concerns were met with the line, "Everything is great."

She said she left the Juneteenth event more "concerned" after seeing the president that night, and questioned the White House staff's decision to put him in that situation.

"I'm thinking to myself, 'Self, this is an 80-year-old man. It is 7 o'clock, it is hot outside," Givan said. "And because I had seen him in December, because I had seen him in February and March, and then of course, now June, I'm saying to myself, 'This program probably should have been a little bit earlier.'"