In the last three presidential cycles, the country has selected an elderly candidate to lead the nation. While there is nothing inherently wrong with this, it’s foolish to think age won’t have a serious effect on a presidential term. During Joe Biden‘s administration, his age was downplayed by a mainstream media eager to do his bidding. At the June 2024 debate, the public noticed a diminished man. The Democrats finally admitted it. And it signaled the beginning of the end for his second term hopes.
Throughout his time in the White House, detractors have publicly hoped Donald Trump would face either serious legal or health challenges that might bring an end to his time in office. This mindset has spurred the current wave of concern about his health.
Among other things, President Trump had a lighter schedule last week, didn’t do any public appearances for a week, and has a bruised hand that is poorly covered by makeup. The mix of absences, health factors, and loudmouth far-right extremist Nick Fuentes saying on X, “There is obviously something going on with Trump that the White House is covering up. This is literally Biden 2,” started a whole news cycle about whether something huge is going on.
President Trump is alive, as he confirmed himself. He is also 79 years of age. He is not a young man either in mind or body. This doesn’t mean he’s incapable of doing his job, but it does mean, realistically, he is slower and much less energetic than, say, a 55-year-old president would be. None of this boils down to some crisis or “Biden 2.0.” But just as it doesn’t mean a negative extreme, it shouldn’t be interpreted as a positive extreme. President Trump is an elderly American, and there’s no use in pretending that’s not the case.
The glaring hypocrisy in this latest news cycle is that many of those who are seriously questioning Trump’s health ran interference for the Biden administration. Even though Joe Biden deteriorated physically and mentally in public view, Americans were gaslighted by a media complex and Democratic Party operatives who refused to admit it. They just couldn’t let Donald Trump take the White House. The primary consideration was beating Trump. Selling a clearly addled man as fit and competent was a small price to pay.
It is necessary to question the mental and physical fitness of any president. It doesn’t matter if they’re Republican or Democrat. In fact, applying the same standard across the board is a must, no matter who is in office. The legacy media have the worst kind of track record when it comes to presenting an unvarnished review of the president’s health. With Biden, it was wrong to question anything. With Trump, questions quickly morph into full-blown conspiracies. The pearl-clutching is both obvious and nauseating. Where was this in recent years?
It would greatly benefit the country and political discourse as a whole if the subject of presidential health was treated equally no matter who occupies the Oval Office. It does no good to minimize or outright dismiss concerns just because your preferred candidate is behind the desk. At the same time, it benefits no one to create disaster scenarios for a president of the opposing party. Both are the worst kind of partisanship.
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No matter who is in office, Americans should hope for their overall health and lucidity. There should also be realistic considerations when it comes to age and no attempts to pass a president off as younger than they are for the sake of the party.
President Trump is not much younger than former President Biden. But so far, the two are vastly different when it comes to physical and mental strengths and abilities. The Democratic Party is still sore; they lost the 2024 election largely due to the cover-up of Biden’s decline. But they have only themselves to blame. Creating a similar problem where none exists might feel like payback, but it doesn’t work. If there is ever a serious problem with President Trump and his health, both sides must be honest about that. But given recent history, this is much easier said than done.
Kimberly Ross (@SouthernKeeks) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog and a contributing freelance columnist at the Freemen News-Letter. She is a mother of two and lives in the southern United States.
