LAS VEGAS — President Biden’s cognitive health, his stumbles during the debate and a growing belief that the mainstream media has tried to hide the 46th president’s condition from the public were no problem for several Democratic veterans who came together to support Biden on Thursday.
The military veterans spoke at an event hosted by the Biden-Harris campaign, one of a number held across the country to launch “Veterans and Military Families for Biden-Harris.”
“Everybody’s got the same goal: to defeat Trump,” said Gary T. White, purchasing manager and president of the local chapter of the Montford Point Marine Corps Association, a group for black Marine Corps veterans.
“Am I concerned about Biden’s health? Yes, I am,” White replied.
“But I’m also concerned about your health, my health and the health of everyone else. He’s an old man, but old men gain wisdom and knowledge along the way.”
Nevada, a battleground state where Trump is leading Biden in opinion polls, is home to Nellis Air Force Base and is home to many military veterans. As of 2022, the number is approximately 205,000.
White said the election marks a “very important turning point” for the US and expressed concern that former President Trump could be returned to office.
“I see a lot of things going backwards. They want the LGBTQ community back in the closet. They want women to go back to the kitchen barefoot and pregnant. They want black people and other minorities in this country to go back to something close to Jim Crow.” [the] “The Jim Crow era,” he said.
Nevada Sen. Pat Spearman, R-North Las Vegas, on Thursday compared Trump to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin but said he wasn’t concerned about Biden’s cognitive health or suggestions that the media had covered up Biden’s now-public problems.
“I have nothing to hide. I really have nothing to hide,” Spearman, a senior Nevada Democrat, insisted.
She added, “President Biden said he has a cold and isn’t feeling well. I hope people look at the track record he’s had. He’s had a track record, especially for veterans. Did you hear people talking about that today? Well, here’s the thing.”
Nathan Atkins, a U.S. Army veteran who works in technology sales and runs an IV Vitamin Wellness Center, said he supports the presumptive Democratic nominee because “President Biden is a [the] “Military personnel and military families”
He said he was “not in a position” to judge whether the media had covered up Biden’s health issues and that he “doesn’t necessarily have any concerns” about the commander in chief’s fitness to serve.
But Atkins acknowledged he has general misgivings about Biden’s prospects.
“I’m always worried,” he said.
“I’m always concerned, regardless of who’s sitting there, I’m always concerned and I think it’s natural for people to question anything.”
