President Biden is 81 years old, and it shows, according to University of Toronto political science professor, Ryan Hurl.
The first presidential debate between President Biden and former president Trump unfolded last night to mixed reactions, and Hurl argues there’s truth to claims of Biden’s deteriorating cognitive capabilities.
“It will be very difficult for President Biden and the Democratic party to recover from this debate performance, even if President Biden is able to show greater vigor in future public appearances (as he did, for instance, in the State of the Union address),” Hurl told The Brandon Gonez Show.
But, his Republican opponent, Donald Trump is only 3 years his junior.
Despite Trump being 78 years old, some people online agree that Biden’s age and fragility is alarming and a cause for concern.
“I feel so bad for him, let him rest,” one X user wrote.
“This is torture to this old man. Sad,” another person said.
“Please just let him retire,’ someone else said.
Members of Biden’s own party have also questioned his fitness for office, “but there is no easy way to replace him unless he chooses to relinquish the nomination voluntarily,” Hurl said.
Even then, replacing him is no easy feat. His Vice President Kamala Harris has minimal support within the party, and campaign finances can not simply be handed over to a new candidate.
According to Hurl, prior to the debate, Biden was running behind Trump in the polls, but only minimally.
Nonetheless, he needed a strong performance, and he needed to reframe the debate to focus on the accomplishments of his administration, but he fell short on Thursday evening, Hurl explained.
“I think the conventional wisdom and immediate reactions to the debate will be proven correct,” he continued.
“It was not so much what Biden said, but how he said it, that made this such a disastrous debate for the President and the Democratic Party. He was largely unable to confront Trump’s exaggerations and distortions, and he seemed physically unwell.”
During a campaign speech in Raleigh, North Carolina at his first campaign event after the debate, President Biden acknowledged concerns over his age and fitness for office.
“I don’t walk as easy as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to… I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong. I know how to do this job…I know like millions of Americans know; when you get knocked down you get back up,” he said.
President Biden: "I don't walk as easy as I used to. I don't speak as smoothly as I used to… I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong. I know how to do this job…I know like millions of Americans know; when you get knocked down you get back up!" pic.twitter.com/V9EdtTeDGC
— CSPAN (@cspan) June 28, 2024
“Where the hell was this performance last night?,” an X user wrote in response.
Nevertheless, Hurl said Biden and his party are unlikely to bounce back.
“It is about more than a single debate. The public will, I think, feel deceived about Biden’s mental and physical state. Even assuming Biden resigns, which is unlikely, I find it difficult to imagine that the Democrats will be able to unify behind another candidate,” he concluded.
