The falling-off-his-bike Joe Biden seems like a distant memory as the current iteration of Biden appears to struggle with walking, talking, taking directions, and walking up even a few stairs. The White House has been ramping up efforts to protect Biden, but how much more can they do?
On Tuesday, Biden once again dueled with the steps to Air Force One, and once again, he lost. Fortunately for him, he didn’t go all the way down this time, but it is painfully apparent that his ability to navigate even a few stairs is eroding. While Biden managed to keep his feet, every trip up a set of stairs, pun not intended, is risking the geriatric president’s health.
The most recent stumble was on the short staircase as Biden attempted to board the modified 747. The administration scrapped the regular stairs after numerous Biden stumbles to hide the president’s declining level of physical fitness. They have even gone as far as to post aides in strategic locations to aid Biden should he falter verbally and physically.
The so-called “presidential cocoon” by Biden’s aides is “intended to shield him from verbal slips and physical stumbles.” This includes Secret Service detail strategically positioned in places they wouldn’t have been in years past. Ordinarily, no one besides the president is in the shot during photo opportunities. Still, Biden cannot be trusted by himself, so Secret Service and aides are routinely positioned near the president.
After a fall over sandbags at the U.S. Airforce Academy last summer, “Now, there is a Secret Service agent positioned at the bottom of the stairs when he disembarks,” noted the NYT. However, as of late, it isn’t just the physical issues concerning the administration.
In the last several months, the president’s mental cognition appears to be degrading more quickly than ever before. While he has always had a history of messing up names and tripping over his words, in recent weeks, Biden has forgotten details about his son Beau Biden, claimed conversations with deceased world leaders, and confused numerous living world leaders.
Additionally, after sitting for an interview with special counsel Robert Hur to address his mishandling of classified documents, Hur revealed that Biden couldn’t remember being Vice President or when Beau Biden died. The president angrily pushed back in a press conference, only to immediately confuse the presidents of Mexico and Egypt. Unsurprisingly, a recent ABC News poll found that 86 percent of Americans think Biden is too old, of which 73 percent of Democrats agree.
It is painfully apparent that Joe Biden is too old to serve four more years. At 81, he likely couldn’t get a job as a door greeter at a department store. There comes a time when pride and ambition must be set aside, and when the nation’s good is at stake, that time should be now. Until then, we will watch Biden joust with the dragon of stairs and talk to ghosts as the world watches and laughs.
