White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre denied that President Biden has Alzheimer's or another degenerative illness following his lackluster debate performance against Trump. Despite calls for Biden to withdraw from seeking a second term, Jean-Pierre attributed his performance to a cold and reiterated his capability to lead. Families of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan in 2021 expressed outrage after Biden falsely claimed during a debate that no service members died overseas under his command, prompting criticism and disbelief. Gold Star mother Kelly Barnett, whose son was among the fallen service members, expressed disgust but not shock at Biden's denial, speculating that he was misled into making the offensive remark and highlighting the lack of communication from the President since her son's passing.