Fears of His Age: Will Biden Bear the Sin of Trump’s Return to the Presidency?

In a recent article for The Guardian, Timothy Garton Ash, a British journalist, reported on the widespread anxiety among Americans about the upcoming presidential election. He wrote that most of the people he interviewed favored Joe Biden, the incumbent president, over Donald Trump, his likely challenger.

However, they also expressed serious doubts about Biden’s ability to lead the country, especially given his advanced age and frailty.

 

Decent Period

Biden, who is 80 years old, has been a decent president, according to analysts. He handled the COVID-19 pandemic competently, managed the crisis in Ukraine reasonably well, and boosted the economy with a massive public spending program that promoted green jobs and social welfare.

His withdrawal from Afghanistan, though messy, was a necessary step to end a long and costly war.

But Biden’s legacy could be tarnished if he failed to secure a second term and allowed Trump, who is 77 years old, to return to power.

A recent NBC poll showed a tight race between the two candidates, with both getting 46 percent of the vote.

The outcome could depend on various factors that have little to do with the candidates’ merits, such as misinformation, foreign interference, third-party spoilers, and demographic shifts.

Many Republicans were not convinced by the economic recovery and that artificial intelligence could amplify the spread of false or misleading information.

Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, would try to help Trump win, as he did in 2016. There are two potential third-party movements that could draw votes away from Biden: a centrist group called No Labels and a progressive environmental coalition led by Cornel West, a prominent scholar and activist.

 

Loss of Voters

The most alarming trend for Democrats was the erosion of their support among non-white voters, especially blacks and Latinos, who were increasingly attracted to Trump.

This phenomenon is attributed to various social and historical factors, as well as to Trump’s charisma and populism.

Biden’s age and weakness are a liability, as many Americans feel he is too old to run for another four-year term, which would end when he was 86 years old.

Ash quoted four sources who had observed Biden closely and confirmed that he was mentally sound but physically aging. One of them remarked on how Biden’s voice often trailed off at the end of his sentences.

As the 2024 presidential election looms, the media scrutiny on the candidates will be relentless and unforgiving.

A single misstep, like Bob Dole’s tumble from a stage in 1996, could spell doom for a campaign. Back then, Dole was a 73-year-old in a less frenzied media landscape. Now, the stakes are even higher for the two candidates vying for the White House.

Biden faces the challenge of convincing voters that he is fit and capable of leading the nation for another term. His age also puts a spotlight on his vice president, Kamala Harris, who would be next in line if he were to resign or become incapacitated.

But Harris is not a strong asset for Biden’s reelection bid. She has struggled to project the image of a “potential leader of the free world,” as she has been sidelined in the administration and has lower approval ratings than Biden. She also lacks experience and clout on the global stage.

Trump has his own troubles to deal with as well. He is facing multiple lawsuits that could drain his time and resources and possibly land him in prison.

The most serious case is led by Jack Smith, the prosecutor investigating the alleged fraud in the 2020 election, which Trump still refuses to concede. If Smith succeeds, Trump could be behind bars by the end of November 2024.

 

Stepping Aside?

Some analysts have speculated that Biden might step aside and let a younger candidate take his place.

But that would pose a risk of fracturing the diverse and fragile coalition that the Democratic Party has built.

There are several promising contenders from the next generation, such as Josh Shapiro, the governor of Pennsylvania, who could be the first Jewish president; Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Michigan, who could be the first female president; or Gavin Newsom, the governor of California.

These candidates could offer a fresh and dynamic contrast to Trump and also restore the image of the United States in the world.

Many people are baffled by the gerontocracy that rules Washington, where Biden, Trump, and Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, are all over 80 years old.

They often seem out of touch and slow to react, like old computers with bad internet connections.

Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker who is running again at 83, and Dianne Feinstein, the Democratic senator from California who refuses to retire at 90, are also part of this phenomenon. This is unsustainable and needs to change.

The decision to run or not is ultimately up to Biden and his wife, Jill. But if they choose to bow out, they should do it sooner rather than later to give the younger candidates enough time to announce, raise money, and organize national campaigns.

Then, one of them could be selected and paired with a reliable running mate. A longtime observer of American politics said: “It has to be before Thanksgiving.” That is less than two months away.

There are other important elections happening on this side of the Atlantic, such as the crucial Polish elections next month, which could determine the fate of its fragile democracy; the European Parliament elections in June next year, which could see a surge of the populist right; and the British general elections, which could mark the return of the United Kingdom to some semblance of sanity after leaving the European Union.

But none of these European elections will matter as much for Europe as the upcoming American presidential elections.

Ash says that a second Trump presidency would be a disaster for the United States. It would also be a disaster for Ukraine, an emergency for Europe, and a crisis for the West.

He concluded by saying that if Biden steps down now, he will be honored by Democrats everywhere, while American Democrats can choose a younger candidate to overcome Trump and perhaps even inspire the world again with American dynamism.