Stretch, Trump loses his train of thought all the time. Also, he thinks he is in North Carolina and is in PA. Think the dems would start WW2. Kept referring to his opponent as Barrack Obama.What exactly are you arguing here? Are you trying to say that Joe was not dealing with a diminished mental capacity? Do you think I am just making this shit up? Did you see the debate? Have you not seen all those times when you completely loses his train of thought? It happens regularly, especially when he is tired. Classic sundowners syndrome. And don't forget about what Robert Hur said about Joe, likely saving him from criminal charges on the classified material handling.
I have seen my dad in decline. In February he was fine, maybe not as quick on his feet but was making stock trades etc.
My guess is the White House didn't really see this until debate prep, which was early June. So there isn't this big conspiracy. Even the rightwing news said he was hopped up on something at the state of the union. If he didn't debate he and his staff could run this country. But he stepped away. He didn't want to cost the dems down ballot and stepped away. The Republicans could have done the same.