Former President Donald Trump, 78, is currently The oldest presidential candidate in American historyIf re-elected in November, Trump will finish his term just months before his 83rd birthday, making him two years older than President Joe Biden’s current age.
In other words, Donald Trump has a serious age problem.
The media and Republican political leaders have expressed concern about Trump’s age. As seriously as BidenTrump could allay those concerns by keeping his promises. Take a public cognitive testIs he still going to “do it for the country”? Back to July 12th?
After all, comparing Trump’s 2015 presidential announcement footage with footage from earlier this year shows that he’s not the same person he used to be. The former president now routinely gets his names wrong during extemporaneous speeches, including: Doctor’s name – and I had a hard time finishing the sentence At a Nashville rally earlier this year. Can Americans be sure that Trump’s stumbles aren’t part of a continuing pattern of cognitive decline?
Trump said all the presidential candidates “Cognitive testing is mandatory.” Regardless of age. The time is now, because worrying evidence of Trump’s mental decline has been building for years.
his Memory problems It’s been well documented that the former president can’t seem to remember what he was doing or who he was talking to for much of the day. January 6, 2021He also frequently forgets who the current president is. Confusing Joe Biden with Barack Obama During an unscripted speech. That seems like a pretty big deal.
Concerns about how Trump’s age will affect the Republican candidate are not limited to Democrats like me: Post-debate polls showed that 60% of voters believe Trump is too old to serve in office. ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos PollThat’s up from 44 percent a little over a year ago. A rambling debate performance Last month, it was found that as many as 50 percent believe the former president should withdraw from the race and focus on his mental health.
Some Republicans are also waking up to the gravity of the situation. In January, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley A warning to Republican voters The argument is that “the party that first retires an 80-year-old candidate will win the election.” So far, only the Democratic Party has responded to this public concern by acting in the national interest.
Biden’s departure While it may not change Haley’s mind, it certainly resonated with Haley for Biden, the PAC that supports her.
“We support Joe Biden’s endorsement and will be changing the name of our organization to Haley Vote for Harris, effective immediately,” the group said. Post to X(Old Twitter) “We can’t waste time.”
and Democrats name Kamala Harris as presumptive nomineeTrump faces a much more active campaign schedule than in the past, with Harris crisscrossing the country to mobilize voters on popular issues such as reproductive freedom. Less time for golf More than ever, voters are still not convinced that Trump can handle the difficult task of running a full-scale campaign.
That’s what the Trump camp collapse collectively Trump has spent hundreds of millions of dollars and months building a campaign based solely on the idea that Biden is staggering with senility, but now he will be facing a candidate nearly 20 years his junior. Concerns that Trump’s age could be a deciding factor have grown to the point that some Republicans have threatened to sue the Democrat. Keep Biden on the ballotThere’s just one problem: Biden is not officially the Democratic nominee.
Trump faces the nightmare scenario of spending the next four months away from his Mar-a-Lago golf course and instead chasing Harris around the country, demonstrating his energy and vigor. It will be hard to match the Democrats’ enthusiasm. Over $250 million in just two daysThe Republican National Committee’s fundraising advantage has disappeared.
Just two weeks ago, Donald Trump promised to walk with the Democratic candidate to a doctor’s office so the two could take the “Unity” cognitive test. So where is Trump?
Max Burns is a veteran Democratic strategist and founder of Third Degree Strategies.
