WASHINGTON — One week after questions boiled over about Joe Biden’s age and acuity, the president’s near-total hold on the levers of power within the Democratic Party has never been more apparent.
Interviews with donors, strategists and lawmakers found only a few were shaken by a special counsel report that cast Biden as an “elderly man with a poor memory,” and his subsequent news conference in which he mixed up the leaders of Mexico and Egypt. One Democrat, who requested anonymity to speak candidly, likened it to a slow-motion train wreck.
But Democrats say they remain committed to Biden’s candidacy, despite the turmoil of the past seven days.
Their determination was only bolstered by Donald Trump, who pushed the president’s woes from the front pages with another high-profile controversy. The Republican frontrunner’s pronouncement that he would encourage Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” to NATO allies who don’t spend enough on their militaries rattled world leaders and put Biden back on offense.
The episode immediately validated Democrats’ argument for a second Biden term: The president might be old and sometimes forgetful, but his likely opponent is a chaotic figure who threatens American democracy and the global order.
None of that changes the reality that age remains Biden’s greatest liability in the November election. He is already the oldest president in U.S. history, and would be 86 at the end of a second term. Each successive misstep risks turning off voters, particularly those tuned out of politics, that Biden’s campaign aides say he needs to win over in order to keep Trump out of office.
One Democratic fundraiser on Wall Street, who requested anonymity to discuss the situation, likened Biden’s age to rain on a friend’s wedding day: Even if it is less than ideal, his supporters will show up for the sake of the relationship.
Painful blow
Trump is only four years…
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