THE BIDEN DAM BREAKS. During much of the last administration, and especially in its final year, the president of the United States suffered serious cognitive impairment. It wasn’t a secret — 81-year-old Joe Biden frequently had senior moments during public events. What was striking about the situation was that Biden’s staff, fellow Democrats, and allies in the media insisted that he was in good shape and sharp mentally when he obviously wasn’t. 

The situation exploded on June 27, 2024, when Biden met rival Donald Trump for their first and, as it turned out, only debate. You know the story. Biden was so out of it that Democrats scrambled to push him off the party’s ticket, to be quickly replaced by then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Then, the presidential campaign quickly moved on to a disastrous conclusion for the Democratic Party.