Joe Biden at his worst: doubts about his mental health put his candidacy at risk

The king was left naked. Alone, off the teleprompter that usually muffles his confusion and in front of a swarm of journalists who wanted to ask him about his mental health, Joe Biden accidentally exposed, in an instant, all the doubts about your mental health. Today he is experiencing one of the worst moments of his presidency, a fateful moment that could cost him re-election in November.

It all happened on Thursday, which will be remembered as a tragic day for Democrats. In what should have been good news, Biden was cleared by Justice Department special counsel Robert Hur of the mishandling of classified documents investigation when he left the vice presidency. There have been no charges against Biden.

But Hur described the president in his report as “a nice, well-meaning old man with a bad memory.” Indeed, he noted, “he didn’t even remember when his son Beau died.”

In those few words, Hur moved a sensitive and explosive fiber in this presidential campaign: Biden’s mental health. Today, at 81, Biden is the oldest person to serve as president, he is the oldest to run for re-election and, if successful, would be 86 at the end of his term. Ronald Reagan, by comparison, was an unprecedented 77 years old when he finished his second term in 1989.

Republican attack

With the report in hand, Republicans came out en masse to question the status of Biden, who with his stutter sometimes stumbles over words, but who sometimes It has confusing characters citing, for example, a meeting he had with former French president François Mitterrand (who had died many years earlier) and other similar gaffes. Some opponents even mentioned the Constitution’s 25th Amendment, which would revoke the president’s mandate in the event of mental incapacity.

When Washington was talking only about that sentence of the report, Biden tried to contain the damage and went out at night for an impromptu press conference at the White House with the intention of assuring Americans that his memory is good and that the report Hurray. It was wrong.

In reverse, was seen confusedwith emotional and wrong answers – to a question about Gaza He confused the president of Egypt with that of Mexico– thus leaving even more doubt about his cognitive acuity and temperament when people sought stability and reasoning on the subject.

“The issue of Biden’s physical and mental capabilities is the most serious deficit that threatens his re-election,” he said Clarion Christopher Arterton, professor emeritus of political management at George Washington University.

“Certain sentences in the Hur report, which stated that he should not be prosecuted, cut to the heart of the problem and went so far as to describe him as having “reduced capabilities,” an analysis that goes beyond the expertise of the special prosecutor. “This, combined with some recent mistakes, has brought to the fore the issue that Biden’s age hurts his re-election prospects,” the expert added.

Coup d’état in the middle of the campaign

It was a real disaster for the campaign because it is the president’s Achilles heel. Even though the economic numbers are doing very well, a very large segment of the American public, both supporters and detractors of Biden, express growing doubts about his ability to govern for another four years due to his age.

An NBC poll last month found that 75% of Americans are “moderately or very concerned” about the president’s age. Those voters included 81% of independents and 54% of Democrats who said they were concerned about Biden’s suitability for a second term.

“It is one of the darkest moments of the Biden presidency,” the editorial writes The New York Times on Fridays.

The White House and several Biden allies have sought to repair the damage and have come to the president’s defense, praising his ability to work, the ties he has forged with other leaders to address international crises or his government’s achievements.

Many pointed out that Hur crossed the line in his report and accused him of being politically motivated, highlighting his affiliation with the Republican Party. It is unclear whether this offensive will be enough.

On the other side, waiting is Donald Trump, who will certainly be Biden’s rival when he wins the Republican elections. At 77, he had so far avoided directly attacking the Democrat on the issue, not only because he is part of his generation but also so as not to offend a large portion of Republicans who tend to be older than Democrats. He himself has repeatedly made mistakes and confused characters. But in a Saturday post on the Truth Social network about the prosecutor’s report, he this time referred to Biden’s “fuzzy memory” and repeated his “Sleepy Joe” nickname from the 2020 campaign.

Alexander George Theodoridis, professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Amhers, said this Clarion that “Biden’s portrayal in the Hur report is certainly not good news for the Biden campaign, as concerns about the president’s age are already dampening enthusiasm among his supporters.”

And he adds an important fact: “In our latest national poll from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, 37% of Democrats said they believed it would be better for the United States and their party if Biden stepped away from politics. And 56% of Democrats believe that the rematch between Biden and Trump is bad for the United States. These feelings are mainly due to the age of the candidates. However, the elections are still about nine months away. “Perceptions of Biden’s physical and mental abilities will be determined primarily by what voters see of him as the campaign heats up.”

The impact of Biden’s setback this week has not yet been measured in polls. But The Democratic campaign must react quickly because so far they had managed to keep the president competitive with very few meetings with the press (the president has held 86 press conferences so far and Barack Obama 422), with few interviews and with few spontaneous interactions with the public. An alternative is to bring Biden onto the field and subject him to more spontaneous contact with his voters and the press to demonstrate his dominance in leading the country. Even though the risk can be very high.