President Joe Biden left the presidential race because there was just too much talk about his age and his lack of mental acuity- as demonstrated by his performance in a presidential debate.
His predecessor, Donald Trump, is nearly as old as Biden. And now, he’s also had a panned debate performance and many embarrassing verbal gaffes.
On Thursday, the former president said more odd stuff and made more verbal gaffes.
Speaking in Arizona, Trump touted “the endorsement of a vice president’s family ” and “the vice president’s brother,” who he added had given him a financial contribution. Then he said he was endorsed by the brother of “Barack Hussein Obama.”
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This was a reference to some relatives of Tim Walz — who have been described as distant cousins who barely know the Minnesota governor — as well as Walz’s brother. Malik Obama, one of former President Obama’s brothers, has been a MAGA hanger-on for a while now.
The problem with the statement is that Tim Walz is not “the vice president”—he is the Democratic candidate for vice president. The vice president is Kamala Harris, and it doesn’t appear that Trump has been endorsed by anyone related to her.
Trump: But I was very happy because I got the endorsement of the Vice President’s family. And I got the endorsement of the Vice President’s brother. Barack Hussein Obama’s brother endorsed me pic.twitter.com/vkPiRbr3qF
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 12, 2024
A minor mistake? Sure. But for Trump, they have been piling up. In the presidential debate, he mistakenly referred to a statement about abortion from the former “governor of West Virginia,” when he meant Virginia. These are the types of mistakes that, such as when President Biden confused the presidents of Mexico and Egypt, tend to get people talking about a pattern.
There’s been a lot of grumbling among Democrats, that Trump’s age and verbal slip-ups haven’t been getting the same type of coverage that Biden’s did. Part of that is that when it comes to Trump, there are other things to focus on, from his threats to jail opponents to his plans to conduct mass deportations.
But before the debate, the New York Times ran a piece with the headline, “As Debate Looms, Trump Is Now the One Facing Questions About Age and Capacity.”
“At 78, former President Donald J. Trump exhibits more energy and speaks with more volume than President Biden does at 81, but he, too, has mixed up names, confused facts and stumbled over his points,” the Times wrote. “Mr. Trump’s rambling speeches, sometimes incoherent statements and extreme outbursts have raised questions about his own cognitive health and, according to polls, stimulated doubts among a majority of voters.”
And much like Biden, Trump isn’t likely to get more coherent and less confused, as he continues to age, and especially if he ends up serving four more years as president. And now that the election has a contrast between a younger and older candidate, this issue may end up more salient than ever before.
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
