We are watching the president ripen and rot before our very eyes.

If he were a banana, he’d be in the trash right now—or, at best, on his way into a recipe for banana bread.

From swollen ankles and bruised hands, we’ve watched this deterioration progress with each passing day. This week saw a progression of bruises up his arms. He is barely able to stay awake at virtually any public function he attends. His behavior is erratic. His already limited vocabulary is increasingly beyond his recall. He needs to be propped up when he walks any distance at all. According to reports, he emits strange odors.

Given the president’s awesome power and responsibilities, this kind of rapid degradation of health and capacity to govern ought to be a source not just of concern, but of action. Yes, Trump’s handlers are apparently restricting his schedule. But stronger measures are called for. In a mid-size corporation, he would have been given a gold watch and a hearty pat on the back and sent on his way.

In the White House, however, what succession mechanisms there are often are ignored. In the case of Trump, this is true in part because of his ego. He is in denial about the fact that he has gone from being merely unfit to hold the office (as he was on day one) to exploring new extremes of unfitmaxxing. Almost certainly, suggesting it was time to invoke the 25th Amendment would be grounds for firing. Not just because Trump would see it as disloyal but because it would also open the door to the possibility of President JD Vance, an outcome no one wants to see.

But there are other reasons why the White House promotes the myth that flaccid, slumped, shuffling, mentally crumbling Donald Trump is healthy and capable enough to be president. They all tie to the fact that Trump is not the only person who stands to benefit from his being president. His family profits from it. His senior staff has influence and even power they would never otherwise have.

Donald Trump is not just a cash cow for his own corrupt enterprises. He is also the meal ticket for those closest to him.

That is why it is likely that, even as he continues his slow, sad collapse, it will be covered up and lied about, possibly long after he is effectively........

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