There is no “last straw” with Donald Trump. Everything he does is the “last straw.”
So the latest last straw was last Sunday at a campaign rally in Iowa. At a time when Joe Biden is trying to save the world from exploding on three different continents, Trump was entertaining his adoring acolytes by mocking Biden for his age. His physical gestures were tastelessly similar to what he did back in his 2016 campaign when he mocked a reporter who was disabled.
He said of Biden, “He’s totally incoherent.” Sure, sometimes Biden stumbles, but compared to Trump? Exhibit A: At the rally in Iowa, he launched into his stump speech with, “A very big hello to a place where we’ve done very well, Sioux Falls. Thank you very much Sioux Falls.” Only… um… he wasn’t in Sioux Falls. That’s in South Dakota. He was in Sioux City. It’s in Iowa.
Who’s incoherent now?
Exhibit B: He then dived deeper into incoherence when he talked about his own personal alliances, which are a far cry from America’s. “There’s a man Viktor Orban…he’s probably, like, one of the strongest leaders anywhere in the world. He’s the leader of Turkey.” Except… um… Viktor Orban isn’t the leader of Turkey. He’s the leader of Hungary. He’s one of the “strongest” leaders because, as the publication Foreign Affairs puts it, he’s been “dialing up a dictatorship.” Not to mention, he’s Vladimir Putin’s closest ally in Europe.
Who’s reckless now?
I only dwell on Trump and his offensive characteristics rather than the other presidential aspirants from the GOP because although to me it’s beyond inexplicable, he looks at this point like he might have a lock on the presidential nomination next year. 91 criminal counts and more misdeeds in civil courts, and a supporting if not leading role in the insurrection, but his ratings, and his revenue, only go up. It looks like Donald Trump versus Joe Biden. Again.
Shadows of 2020, hopefully with the same outcome.
But the difference is, it’s four years later, and both men are four years older. That is Biden’s Achilles heel. Which is confounding. Yes, if he wins next year, he will be 82 on the day of his inauguration. But if Trump wins, he will be 78, which is just as old as Biden was when he took the oath, and Trump ceaselessly chided him for it. That also means at the end of a Trump term, he’d be 82, which he’s frantically been telling us is way too old to be president.
Who’s inconsistent now?
Anyway, Biden’s performance belies his age. Think about what he did two weeks ago. He flew from Washington to Israel for critical talks, then straight back to Washington.
That would whip most men half his age. He came home to the election of a new Speaker of the House and met him in the Oval Office. He made a live TV address to the nation about American resolve to support our allies in war. Trust me, speeches are exhausting. And he didn’t get his nights off. He threw a state dinner for the prime minister and his wife from Australia.
The Israel trip was about as demanding as his February trip to Ukraine: the long flight to Poland, a nine hour overnight train ride to Kiev, a few hours with President Zelensky and a sit-down with American embassy staff, then another nine hour train ride out, only to go on to critical meetings back in Poland with European allies in the war. All in a time zone six hours later than Washington’s. The most punishing part of it all is, he’s in the spotlight every moment he’s out.
Too old, too tired? Hardly. That takes energy. That takes strength.
Columnist David Brooks has covered Biden for years and wrote last month, “I’ve been interviewing the man for a quarter-century, including during his presidency. The Republicans who portray him as a doddering old man based on highly selective YouTube clips are wrong. In my interviews with him, he’s like a pitcher who used to throw 94 miles an hour who now throws 87. He is clearly still an effective pitcher.”
To be sure, with all his legal liabilities, Donald Trump doesn’t have any easy days anymore. So if he’s looking and acting a little more haggard, it’s understandable. But neither does Joe Biden, and his days are about keeping the free world free, not keeping himself out of prison. For twenty months he’s been dealing with a savage war waged by a totalitarian despot against an ally in Europe. Now he’s dealing with another savage war waged by a terror group against an ally in the Middle East. Throw in his work to keep China at bay both militarily and economically, then add in all the meetings and briefings it takes to navigate through a chaotic Congress, and ask yourself, could most people of any age do it?
The answer is no.
Former International Herald Tribune editor Mort Rosenthal quoted the Roman statesman Cicero in a recent Mort Report about Joe Biden: “It is not by muscle, speed, or physical dexterity that great things are achieved, but by reflection, force of character, and judgment.”
For most people, reflection, force of character, and judgment get stronger as we age. They haven’t for Trump but they have for Biden. As Rosenthal wrote, “Age is beside the point.”
Over more than five decades Greg Dobbs has been a correspondent for two television networks including ABC News, a political columnist for The Denver Post and syndicated columnist for Scripps newspapers, a moderator on Rocky Mountain PBS, and author of two books, including one about the life of a foreign correspondent called “Life in the Wrong Lane.” He also co-authored a book about the seminal year for baby boomers, called “1969: Are You Still Listening?” He has covered presidencies, politics, and the U.S. space program at home, and wars, natural disasters, and other crises around the globe, from Afghanistan to South Africa, from Iran to Egypt, from the Soviet Union to Saudi Arabia, from Nicaragua to Namibia, from Vietnam to Venezuela, from Libya to Liberia, from Panama to Poland. Dobbs has won three Emmys, the Distinguished Service Award from the Society of Professional Journalists, and as a 37-year resident of Colorado, a place in the Denver Press Club Hall of Fame.
Greg, thank you. Spot on right. And as so many observers are now saying, Nov. '24 is truly a choice between American Autocracy vs. American Democracy. I choose Biden and the latter.
I agree entirely, but how do we explain this to the maga crowd who do not read your sage advice?
I was listening to Neil deGrasse Tyson explain the difference between being right and being effective and I found that what we need to do is somehow be "effective" in convincing trump's admirers that they are on the wrong path. That's a tall order, but we must try.