He was far from being the sprightliest candidate four years ago. This week, however, has really shown just how tough it will be for the 81-year-old incumbent to get reelected.
Joe Biden has proven that no obstacles are necessary for him to stumble and fall during this election campaign. The oldest incumbent and presidential candidate in American history is tripping himself up. A special counsel pronounced quasi-authoritatively on Thursday that the 81-year-old was an “elderly man with a poor memory.” Although the attorney found no grounds to charge Biden over the matter of the classified files found in his garage, his report revealed some devastating details. It may even have overstepped Department of Justice regulations and norms.
Yet it was Biden who exposed himself. Instead of apologizing for his own mistakes, he shifted responsibility onto his staff and, right after protesting that his memory was intact, went on to mix up Mexico and Egypt.
In doing so, he strengthened the special counsel’s implicit criticism of a president guilty of overestimating his own capabilities. He also gifted the Republicans material to support the claim he is merely a puppet whose actions are being controlled behind the scenes — a conspiracy theory that is undermining trust in the world’s oldest democracy. This is playing well for Donald Trump, the man who has already made one attempt at dealing a fatal blow to that democracy and has been openly discussing how he might finish the job.
And How Are Things Going for Donald Trump? Well, Just Fine Right Now
Granted, Biden was far from being the sprightliest candidate four years ago when he defeated Trump. Yet this week really laid bare just how tough it will be for him to win reelection. Biden’s support among African Americans and Latinos is eroding, while Muslim Americans and younger voters are deserting him in disappointment at his perceived humiliation by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Biden’s approval ratings remain stuck below the 40% mark, and the closer it gets to the election on Nov. 5, the harder it becomes to dismiss the opinion polls as irrelevant; they have invariably proved indicative of the election result from the springtime onward. Biden’s campaign is only just getting started, but it will have to deliver some results fast to succeed in sprucing up his image.
Meanwhile, things are going swimmingly for Trump right now. Although a court ruled on Tuesday that he enjoys no immunity as a former president, it remains to be seen whether the judicial process can succeed in trying him for his part in the storming of the Capitol before Election Day. Moreover, it is now unlikely that Trump will be legally barred from running for election, according to the Supreme Court justices’ opinions on Thursday.**
An Ex-President with Dictatorial Fantasies — What a Choice
In the meantime, the Republican strongman is proving he can also get Congress to dance to his tune. Trump saw to it that a compromise to protect the border and support Ukraine and Israel failed because his campaign relies on propaganda against migrants. In doing so, he is upending the European security order, which has depended on the U.S. acting as its unconditional guarantor since World War II.
It looks as though Americans will face a choice on Election Day between entrusting the White House to an 81-year-old sitting president whose fitness for office is in doubt, and a (by-then) 78-year-old former president with dictatorial delusions. While this puts American voters in an unenviable position, everyone else in the world faces the even less appealing prospect of living with the consequences.
*Editor’s Note: This article is available in its original language with a paid subscription.
**Editor’s Note: The Supreme Court heard arguments Feb. 8 on the Colorado Supreme Court ruling that banned Donald Trump from appearing on the state ballot based on the 14th Amendment, Section 3. The court has not yet issued a decision.
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