Joe Biden is the oldest president in U.S. history. He is 81 years old and disturbingly exceeds the median age for global leaders, most of whom are in their 50s and 60s.
In a recent interview with TIME, Biden’s actions raised questions related to his health. He critically misspoke several times, stating “there are going to be a billion people in Africa in the next several years” — an estimated 1.4 billion already inhabit the continent, and projections indicate 2.5 billion will by 2050. When asked about newly imposed tariffs against China, he mistakenly referred to Chinese President Xi Jinping as Putin, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. When Biden was asked about his age and how it would affect a second term, he challenged the interviewer by stating: “...you’re looking at me, I can take you too.” “Take” in this context makes it seem like Biden was referencing his ability to win in a physical altercation with the journalist. On top of these blunders, many parts of the transcript were filled with unintelligible sentences where he presumably lost his train of thought, including at a crucial point when he was asked about a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. In the interview’s transcript, Biden was attempting to describe what Hamas could do to end the ceasefire, but all that was written was “unintelligible.”
These were just a few of the slip-ups. Biden delivered correct and relevant information about many current topics, but these verbal mistakes clearly took the spotlight away from the truthful details. As a global leader, there is little room for error. He’s not being asked to recite the digits of pi: he should be able to distinguish between two important global leaders and read a note card with the general population of a continent.
Daniel Stone, a geriatrician, argued that Biden’s actions are common amongst people his age and he exhibits no apparent signs of cognitive decline in an opinion in the Los Angeles Times.
“Biden has struggled with stuttering since childhood, and remnants of the condition have long been apparent in his speech.” Stone wrote. “All candidates for political office in the United States deserve to be evaluated on their accomplishments and capabilities rather than by their age.”
I couldn’t agree more. Age should not determine whether you should be considered for the presidency. Every candidate deserves to be evaluated by their beliefs and promises, not by a figure as arbitrary as your date of birth.
However, this statement comes with limitations. There is a troubling trend of elderly and potentially senile candidates running for and taking office. Biden’s biggest competitor, Donald Trump, is 78 years old. He’s built an image of might and vigor due to his electric showmanship; in reality, he’s almost as old as Biden, and he’s had his fair share of verbal mishaps, too. Former U.S. senator Dianne Feinstein held her position until her passing at age 90. Former aides and members of Congress described Feinstein as forgetful, unreachable at times and noticeably upset when she couldn't “keep up.” Senator Mitch McConnell, 82, has had multiple episodes of freezing mid-sentence while being questioned or delivering addresses.
Your cognitive health steadily declines as you age.
“There’s some associated slowing of processing, difficulty with being able to access information, pulling up that memory crisply, and efficiently finding words; some people identify those experiences as ‘senior moments,’” Liz Mineo wrote for the Harvard Gazette.
As a voter, it’s embarrassing. In November, I will be torn casting my vote because both major candidates are senile. Our nation’s leaders have clearly shown their cognitive decline in many instances throughout their careers, making it a target for both the left and right parties to aim at. As the election nears, Biden has become the bullseye.
I am not aiming at the bullseye, but rather trying to see what’s behind it — that is, if it has any substance. Judging by statements from clinical neuropsychologist Julie Brody Magid at Harvard University, Biden is in the prime of his life — for a cognitive ability screening, that is. She goes on to state that if a patient has subjective cognitive complaints because they or others are noticing change, a cognitive screening should be done.
Biden has completed the criteria necessary for a cognitive test, so why hasn’t he taken one and released its results publicly? It seems odd that Biden’s latest physical did not involve a cognitive test amidst growing suspicion by an entire nation that he is subject to mental decline.
There has been no official determination that Biden is experiencing cognitive decline or showing signs of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. However, would that be the case if he was regularly tested? There should be a biannual cognitive test for members of the Senate or similar government positions. As we witness more politicians exhibit senile moments, forgetfulness or something as chilling as McConnell’s freeze-ups, we are also witnessing the result of a broken system — a system without regular cognitive screenings. In positions of such high authority and responsibility, these moments cannot happen as frequently as they have been. Government doctors and physicians need to be held accountable for the administering of testing and need to take initiative on such an important matter.
It is ageist to assume Biden is unfit for office due to his vocal stutters, misnaming and occasional fits of confusion at major political events. However, Biden isn’t just a man with an opinion: he’s representative of an entire nation. These actions make the U.S. the subject of scrutiny, memes and political discourse. When the leader of one of the biggest countries in the world appears to be too old for president and has no cognitive test results to defend him, our minds are also left wandering.
Vincent Winkler (he/him) is a freshman studying sociology.
