Joe Biden’s political future is a matter of huge concern to all who care about democracy, progressive values and the security of the western world. The 81-year-old US president’s disastrous TV debate performance, followed by more excruciating gaffes last week, has fed a long-simmering political and media obsession with his fitness to serve a second term. Like ravenous vultures, his enemies scrap over the bones of an old man.

To some extent, Biden has brought this on himself. He and his advisers, including the first lady, Jill Biden, have spent months batting away legitimate questions about his apparently impaired cognitive abilities. This denial that a problem even exists, coupled with a flat refusal to address it, has done him no favours. Biden blamed his debate debacle on jet lag, then on a cold. He admits he does not speak as well as he did, but claims that “age brings wisdom”.

Revelations that a medical expert on Parkinson’s disease visited the White House eight times in 2023-24 and held at least one meeting with Biden’s personal physician have fuelled suspicions that the public is not being told the whole story. But Biden continues, unwisely, to try to shrug it off, joking that he undergoes a neurological examination each day due to the exacting nature of his job.

This lack of candour smacks of disrespect for supporters and fundraisers, some of whom are now withholding cash. People are not stupid.........

© The Guardian