Voters have better options than geriatric Biden and legally embattled Trump
Paul F. Bradley
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Have you ever tried to take the keys away from a senior whose driving was a threat to other motorists and their own well-being? Imagine trying to take the keys away from a senior who has the most powerful military in the world at his disposal.
This is the metaphorical situation before the United States since Joe Biden announced his intention to seek a second term as president. The announcement was met by a mix of muffled golf claps, disappointment, and outright indignation. Biden would be 82 years old at the start of his second term. Only his enablers applaud this fact.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT FITCH DOWNGRADING US DEBT
Whether Biden deserves a second term based on his debatable accomplishments is a question over which many people disagree. But regarding his physical ability to perform the job, people are united: the vast majority believe he does not have the mental acuity and stamina to serve as president.
Their concerns are warranted. Men typically have significant depletion of their cognitive faculties after age 70. Biden’s frequent bouts of confusion, shuffled steps, reliance on cheat sheets for basic interaction with the press, and increased faux pas and gaffes bear witness to his cognitive struggles and cast daily doubts about whether he can withstand the rigors of the job.
Biden has always been a shoot-from-the-hip politician. Anatomically speaking, his salvos of late more often than not end up with his foot in his mouth. There is a sense of comedic anticipation on the rare occasion that he steps to the mic in scenes redolent of Chevy Chase playing Gerald Ford on Saturday Night Live. Biden’s behavior is embarrassing, sad even, and projects the image of a weak leader. It also subverts his agenda.
Biden likes to admonish critics, telling them to “watch me” as he challenges the impeccable credentials and wrath of Father Time. “Watch me” is typically what a person says before they perform a failed stunt that earns them the top weekly prize on America’s Funniest Home Videos. Indeed, the president made egg salad out of the simple task of overseeing the White House Egg Roll. Aides often have to remind him what to say and where he is.
The people are watching, Mr. President. Biden’s approval rating is below 40%; that’s in the Trump zone.
Speaking of former President Donald Trump, Biden’s refusal to step aside leaves a real chance for the perpetually disgraced former president and presumptive Republican nominee, who is only slightly younger than Biden, to win the White House again. Trump has abundant character issues that should remind rational folks why he isn’t qualified for the job: he’s an egomaniac, bankrupt businessman, serial liar, and an unrepentant autocrat bootlicker.
Trump is also currently engaged in multiple legal entanglements, the latest coming from his efforts to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power after he lost in 2020. That he would be 79 years old in January 2025 and is subject to mentally unhinged ravings should be the coup de grace.
That’s part of the reason why 65% of registered voters do not want Trump to be president again. It is revelatory that presumably 35% would give him another term, and damning that 71% of registered Republicans want a Trump redux.
In the 1990s Hot Shots! movies, Lloyd Bridges played gaffe-prone Adm. and later President Thomas “Tug” Benson who shared anecdotes completely off-topic to the questions asked of him. Sound familiar? It is scary to think of Tug Benson as the real president of the United States, but that could be the reality if either Biden or Trump takes the oath of office in January 2025.
Biden and Trump have made their decisions. In the time leading up to the November 2024 election, we must engage in difficult conversations to keep this pair off the top of the ballot.
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Paul F. Bradley is a freelance writer who has published articles in national newspapers and leading history magazines. He lives in Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania.