It's not like I'm taking pot shots at old guys, tho' Biden and Trump 2 were both a year older than I am now when they were sworn in, and both could claim to be the oldest president in history at their swearing in. Rather, I'm thinking about the mental clarity of both these men who held, or are holding, arguably the most powerful office on the globe.
Wikipedia tells us that:
Joe Biden was 78 years, 2 months of age when he took office as the president of the United States on January 20, 2021. At the time, he became both the oldest person to be inaugurated as U.S. president and the oldest sitting president in U.S. history.
and:
Donald Trump was 70 years old when he was first inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States on January 20, 2017. At the time, he was the oldest person to assume the presidency. Upon his return to office on January 20, 2025, at age 78, he became the oldest president to be inaugurated.
In dog years, these guys were 546 years old when they took office. And partisans in each party would argue they were both dogs. But that is not really my concern. As I said my concern is mental clarity.
I am not proposing membership in Mensa for either. Both were elected, as is sadly the unifying criterion in American politics, because of fealty to the party line. But I am concerned about how my fellow septuagenarians handled or are handling the pressures and responsibilities of the job.
President Biden focused on economic recovery, infrastructure investment, and climate action. All consistent issues of focus for the Democratic party. His public persona was often called into question by his detractors as slow and unfocused. And there is some video evidence that could be used to support that contention. However, another perspective is that he is better seen as a favorite uncle or a gentlemanly grandfather. Not as quick or as sharp as he once was, but still a gentle man, kindly and soft spoken.
President Trump, in his current persona - which makes for a legitimate comparison chronologically - cannot be seen as gentle, soft-spoken or kind. He is aggressive, combative, and given to confrontational language. And there are those who see that as appropriate. Obviously, I am not among them. But these are not the characteristics that most concern me. Rather, I am most concerned with his seeming lack of consistency and mental clarity.
He has demonstrated an unsettling ability to shift focus. He spoke often about his legacy as a peace-maker, and his belief that he was deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize. Yet apparently sees no contradiction between that stance and his military adventures in Iran and what he prefers to call the Gulf of America. This perspective is more indicative of the attitude that prompted him to rename the Department of Defense the Department of War. Yet he is loathe to define the current conflict in the Middle East a war, instead asking for 200 billion dollars to fund a “major conflict operation” or “excursion;” an incredible boondoggle that exacerbates raising gas and aviation fuel costs, crippling everyday driving and air travel for millions. All this seems to prolong a pointless military adventure for which he provides varying motivations and an indefinite termination date.
He remains firmly opposed to those who dare to stray from his worldview, instructing the department - still known as the Department of Justice - to file a variety of suits against individuals and organizations he sees as antagonists. He seems to appoint people to positions of power in his administration who have no professional credentials. The recent case of Robert F Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services is germane: A federal judge temporarily blocked federal health officials from advising cutting the number of vaccines recommended for every child, and said Kennedy, who does not have a medical degree (MD), nor is he a doctor, physician, or formally trained scientist, likely violated federal procedures in revamping a key vaccine advisory committee. More recently the President has pushed to make the former owner of a plumbing business and home maintenance talk show host, head of the Department of Homeland Security.
He has also recently instructed the DOJ to investigate ActBlue a Democratic fund raising organization, and continues to file suits contesting his loss in the 2020 presidential election. The President also seemingly spends hours at night texting on his personal online platform, Truth Social, railing against these and other supposed antagonists. Equally concerning are his televised appearances - from the longest ramblingState of the Union Address in history, to spontaneous interactions with the press in hallways or on Air Force One - where any question can result in a verbal attack on the questioner or a diatribe against the "fake news" of mainstream media. All while commissioning a couple of gold commemorative coins depicting himself. Similar baubles cost between $1500 and $11,000.
These are not the behaviors of a man in tight control of his faculties. They reflect, rather, patterns of behavior that, were we to observe them in our own family members, would prompt us to seek advice from mental health professionals as to how we might best deal with these obvious signs of dementia.
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