While much attention has shifted to processing the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, the concerns most Americans have had about the fitness of President Joe Biden remain as relevant as ever.
In his brief address to the nation after the shooting of Trump, President Biden managed to fumble his words more than can be attributed to the normal verbal slack of an elderly man. This includes his line expressing relief that “former Trump is not seriously injured,” and his repeated references to Americans resolving their political differences at the “battle box.”
If Americans doubtful of the mental fitness of the president were supposed to find any comfort in knowing the president of the United States is all there, they were likely left as doubtful as ever.
Indeed, while many in the pundit class aggressively hyped the supposed strength of the president’s NATO press conference last week, they must’ve held a very low bar for praise.
“Now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination, ladies and gentlemen, President Putin,” Biden said when introducing Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Awkward.
Biden would later follow up this gaffe with a terrible answer to a question about his confidence in Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Look, I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president if she was not qualified to be president. So start there,” he said confidently.
That same day, reported ABC News, “Two-thirds of Americans in a new ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll including a majority of Joe Biden’s own supporters — [said] he should step aside as his party’s presumptive nominee for president given his debate performance two weeks ago.”
ABC News continued, “Sixty-seven percent overall say he should withdraw from the race. More, 85% now say he is too old for a second term, a new high, up from an already-broad 81% in April and 68% just more than a year ago.”
While the most committed of Democrats can tell themselves whatever they want about the need to defeat former President Donald Trump, it’s obvious to most Americans that Biden just isn’t up to the standard where most Americans need him to be.
That’s not Biden’s fault per se — he is 81 in one of the most stressful positions a person could possibly be in — but it is a reality that Biden and those around him should recognize and take seriously.
If, to take the rhetoric of the Democrats seriously, democracy is on the line, is an 81-year-old who is clearly falling apart in front of everyone the one to put forward to defend it?
That’s not a complicated question for most people. But for Democrats it’s still a headache they haven’t proven capable of resolving.
