“NOBODY IS AT HOME”
Trump and MAGA world mock aging Biden
By Roland Peters, New York
14.06.2024, 08:58
Listen to article
This audio version was artificially generated. More info | Send feedback
Four years ago, Joe Biden and the Democrats were able to ignore it, but now the issue is almost omnipresent. When the US President shows himself, he often looks old, sometimes frail. His challenger Donald Trump and his supporters shamelessly exploit this.
June 6, US President Joe Biden is on a stage in Normandy with other heads of state to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the Allied ground offensive in Europe against Nazi Germany. French President Emmanuel Macron and Biden talk to veterans, shake hands, pat shoulders and then go to their seats. The 81-year-old shakes Macron’s hand, leans forward a little, pauses when his wife Jill says something to him, then sits down. The others do the same.
Trump’s team released a video of it on the same day via a Republican Party X-account – without the part about the chair. It commented on the recording with “weird” and a nervous grinning emoji. Trump’s MAGA media bubble picked it up – and claimed that Biden could no longer contain himself. Everyone can imagine the fecal details. The conservative television channel “Fox News” does not go that far, but accuses the head of state of appearing “spatially disoriented” and “confused” in Normandy.
No longer the youngest: US President Joe Biden.
(Photo: IMAGO/Independent Photo Agency Int.)
In context, however, it becomes clear that Biden was by no means lost or confused. A little later, he also gave an energetic speech about the significance of D-Day and the current need for support for Ukraine in its defensive war against Russia. As usual, this was done with the help of a teleprompter. Biden also made repeated public appearances in the days that followed. He cannot hide his age. But nothing unusual happens either.
The episode with the video from France is an example of the level at which the Republicans are conducting their campaign against the Democrats and Biden. Throw everything about the political opponent at the wall and wait to see what sticks. When it comes to Biden’s age, this approach becomes more effective as time goes on.
Republicans had already tried this in the 2020 election campaign, repeatedly portraying Biden as a weakling who was hiding in the “basement” or “bunker” of his house instead of campaigning. But Biden was visibly physically fitter, and the Democratic candidate also had a reason: the Covid pandemic. And he didn’t necessarily have to show his face. Trump was unpopular, the economy was in the doldrums, and Biden was way up in the polls. That’s completely different now. The Democrat’s approval ratings are poor; in May, the Gallup polling institute recorded 39 percent. Every president with less than 47 percent at the same time was voted out a few months later.
Scorn and ridicule for the opponent
In recent years, Trump has pushed the boundaries of how Republicans deal with their political opponents, or even erased them. The demand during the 2016 election campaign to lock up Hillary Clinton. The mockery of physical disabilities. The insults for any person who has fallen from grace. “Sleepy Joe,” as Biden has been called since 2020, is almost affectionate on this list. At a campaign appearance last week, Trump once again mimicked his competitor; this time as a demented, immobile old man who no longer even knows what flavor of ice cream he likes.
Biden’s age has become the main point of attack. The Republicans portray him as a weak leader who has nothing under control, who cannot be trusted with the country and who can no longer represent it. As was the case at a concert in the White House a few days ago. A video recording shows Vice President Kamala Harris dancing and singing along next to Biden, most of the guests swaying to the rhythm. It is a rare moment of a little exuberance. Biden smiles and stares fixedly, not moving for several seconds. “NOBODY IS HOME,” mocked “Fox News,” adding that the president “seems to be frozen.” The video quickly became a meme on social media; its impact could be long lasting.
It is true that Biden is already the oldest president in the history of the United States. But he is not the only old man who could break further records in Washington. If Biden loses the election to Trump in November, Trump will take his record: Today, June 14, Trump turns 78, so he would be 82 at the end of his term. But before that happens, the two old men will duel on television in about two weeks. And provide new videos.