Until Sunday, Joe Biden was still considered old. By withdrawing from the presidential race, Donald Trump earned this reputation. To the Democrats’ delight.
22.07.2024, 13:1722.07.2024, 13:59
81-year-old Joe Biden has withdrawn his bid for another term as US president. Donald Trump, 78, is still in the race.
Both are elderly. So far, however, Trump has been immune to attacks targeting his age. Because anyone who wants to attack his age will have to question the aging Biden’s candidacy.
That is the end now. With Biden’s resignation, Republicans are losing the “he’s too old” argument — and now it’s slapped in their faces. Because, as American strategist Sarah Longwell writes in X:
“Donald Trump is the oldest presidential candidate in US history.”
Donald Trump is the oldest president-elect in US history.
— Sarah Longwell (@SarahLongwell25) July 21, 2024
While no one can deny this fact, Biden supporters are well aware of the paradox. However, they gratefully accept the argument that it can be used again against Trump:
“Low. So low. Good job.”
Low. So little. good job.
— Brent Orrell (@OrrellAEI) July 21, 2024
The days when Trump could hide behind his rival’s age are over. American columnist E. Jean Carroll aptly writes:
“Suddenly he looks so old.”
Suddenly, he looks very old. pic.twitter.com/0D76bJJuLH
– e. Jean Carroll (@ejeancarroll) July 21, 2024
Last year, Donald Trump ordered Carroll to pay $83.3 million for sexual assault and defamation.
Speaking to CNN, former member of the South Carolina House of Representatives Bacary Sellers pointed to Donald Trump’s age:
“The man is almost 80 years old, so the question is, can he hold office for four years? I don’t know if he can do it.”
Sellers: Kamala Harris is running against the oldest candidate for President of the United States in American history… I mean, the guy is almost 80 years old, so the question is, can he serve four more years? I don’t know if he can pic.twitter.com/Au6RaBX9eC
— Asin (@asin) July 21, 2024
Democrats, including Rep. Casey Weinstein here, can now shamelessly denounce Trump’s age:
“Donald Trump is too old to be president.”
Not entirely ironically, law professor and political scientist Anthony Michael Gries writes:
“I can’t believe the GOP is putting an old man as its presidential nominee. Ugly.”
I can’t believe the GOP is running an old man for president. Alas.
— Anthony Michael Kreis (@AnthonyMKreis) July 21, 2024
George Conway, once Trump’s closest confidante and now Trump’s fiercest critic, responds:
Seriously, how are you going to convince people that you’re going to make America great again when you show an old man slurring his words and post-jail-break-contradictory?
Yeah – so what?
Seriously, how do you convince people that you’re going to make America great again with some old man who slurs his words and contradicts himself after prison? https://t.co/xUVdn8jrtL
— George Conway (@gtconway3d) July 21, 2024
Biden supporters have eagerly jumped on the bandwagon, quickly recycling the slogans used for Biden until Sunday:
“Well, I’m in. #SleepyTrump #TrumpToo Old»
However, there are also new ideas:
An X user writes that apparently Trump’s father, Fred, suffered from dementia in his 80s. She follows up with a sentence about Biden that can still be read on Sunday:
“We’re seeing his cognitive decline in real time. He’s rambling, mumbling to himself, can’t remember names.”
Donald Trump has wisely avoided critical comments about Biden’s age in the past. On the contrary: Two months ago he insisted that age was not an issue on the site he founded, Truth Social.
“Joe Biden is not old enough to be president — not even close. But he is very incompetent and corrupt.
In the original, of course, the whole thing was in capital letters.
However, his own delay in the age debate did not help him. For Democrats, his age — especially compared to 59-year-old Vice President Kamala Harris and potential presidential nominee — has become a central argument. (saw)
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