Donald Trump is making Joe Biden's progress one of his main campaign arguments, portraying himself as an energetic leader in the face of a deteriorating old man. But the reality is less contradictory: The Republican, who celebrates his 78th birthday on Friday, is also showing noticeable signs of physical and mental slowdown.
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Almost every day, the billionaire presidential nominee's team in November posts videos of the Democratic president stumbling, stuttering, looking exhausted or appearing disoriented during public events.
These excerpts, judiciously edited and cut even if they sometimes distort reality, are all illustrations for them of Joe Biden's inability to govern.
“His mind is just mush at this point,” Jason Miller, one of Donald Trump's closest advisers, said again on Thursday, commenting on a video of the 81-year-old president at the G7 in Italy.
The Sharks and Sinatra
There is a lot of criticism that might make us forget that Donald Trump is also no longer young.
On Friday evening, the former leader will blow out his 78 candles during a large gathering in Florida.
“Join us in celebrating the birthday of the best president ever,” the invitation card reads, urging guests to decorate themselves in the colors of the American flag.
Joe Biden and Donald Trump are only three and a half years apart.
But “there are clearly noticeable physical differences” between the two men, asserts political expert Matthew Foster, citing, among other things, the hesitant and hard-line approach of the Democratic president.
However, the expert points out the sporadic repetition of Donald Trump's campaign meetings, his repetitions and disjointed speeches, “which give him the appearance of an awkward old uncle” and undoubtedly demonstrate his old age.
During a campaign rally in Las Vegas on Sunday, the stormy septuagenarian candidate launched a very confusing story describing shark attacks, electric batteries and electrocution, drawing ridicule from the Democratic camp.
Joe Biden's team described the speech as “chaotic and confused.”
In recent months, Donald Trump has alternately confounded Hungarian and Turkish leaders, warning that the world is headed toward a second, not a third, World War and mentioning ambiguous exchanges with Frank Sinatra.
“When I lose control”
The Republican leader is also not subject to the same medical transparency requirements as his rival, the Democratic president.
As head of state, Joe Biden undergoes a series of medical examinations every year, the results of which are reported in great detail to the press by the White House physician.
On the contrary, for years no details, or almost no details, have leaked about the health condition of Donald Trump, an alleged Trump admirer. Fast food. In mid-November, the Republican simply posted a short message from his doctor in which he stated that he was in “excellent” health and had lost some weight – without specifying how much.
At the beginning of January, the Republican confirmed during a meeting with his supporters that he had recently taken a cognitive test and passed it “successfully.”
“I'll keep you posted when I lose control, I really think I'll be able to tell you,” I vowed.
“Inconclusive”
Whether Joe Biden or Donald Trump wins in 2024, both will then be the oldest US president to be sworn in.
But does this really matter to voters?
Matthew Foster, a professor at American University, doubts this.
“The real question we should ask ourselves is is there a single person who would vote for Trump, just because he is a younger, more energetic expert, convinced that debates about the economy or immigration or crime or abortion will carry too much weight?” more.
He stresses that in a divided country, where elections can be decided by a few tens of thousands of votes, the age of the candidates “will not be the deciding factor.”
