NY Times Runs Interference for Joe Biden on Age, Fitness Questions Ahead of Expected 2024 Run

NY Times Runs Interference for Joe Biden on Age, Fitness Questions Ahead of Expected 2024 Run

Earlier this year, the New York Times took a turn few saw coming, raising questions about President Biden’s age and fitness to lead after another round of Biden “gaffes” proved too much for even the MSM to ignore.

There was this piece from July, in which they wrote about how he was “testing the boundaries of age and the presidency.”

President Biden is eyeing a second term. But at 79, he’s testing the boundaries of age and the presidency, a sensitive topic in the West Wing. https://t.co/u1vwh10OXt pic.twitter.com/4MmobieSEW

— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 10, 2022

In it, they noted that White House officials could not deny that they had some concerns about the president’s age and health:

But they acknowledged Mr. Biden looks older than just a few years ago, a political liability that cannot be solved by traditional White House stratagems like staff shake-ups or new communications plans. His energy level, while impressive for a man of his age, is not what it was, and some aides quietly watch out for him. He often shuffles when he walks, and aides worry he will trip on a wire. He stumbles over words during public events, and they hold their breath to see if he makes it to the end without a gaffe.

[…]

Mr. Biden’s public appearances have fueled [the “too old”] perception. His speeches can be flat and listless. He sometimes loses his train of thought, has trouble summoning names or appears momentarily confused. More than once, he has promoted Vice President Kamala Harris, calling her “President Harris.” Mr. Biden, who overcame a childhood stutter, stumbles over words like “kleptocracy.” He has said Iranian when he meant Ukrainian and several times called Senator Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia, “John,” confusing him with the late Republican senator of that name from Virginia.

There was also an article they wrote earlier this month prior to the election, where they did something they almost never do – focus on Biden’s “verbal fumbles”:

President Biden verbally fumbled during a campaign swing in Florida on Tuesday, confusing the American war in Iraq with the Russian war in Ukraine, and then he fumbled again while he tried to correct himself, misstating how his son Beau died in 2015.

[…]

Mr. Biden, who at 79 is the oldest president in American history, has a long record of gaffes dating back to when he was a young man. But his misstatements have become more pronounced, and more noticed, now that he has the spotlight of the presidency constantly on him. While Mr. Biden has said he intends to run for a second term, his age ranked at the top of the list for Democratic voters who told pollsters that they want the party to find an alternative, according to a survey by New York Times and Siena College this summer.

But two things have happened since those pieces were published. Though Democrats lost the House, Biden dodged the red tsunami that had been widely predicted. Biden has also repeatedly indicated that he “intends” to run again for president in 2024, though he hasn’t officially declared it.

Because of all that, and because today is Biden’s 80th birthday, the New York Times decided to give him a gift by running interference for him on the age question:

President Biden turns 80 on Sunday, and would be 86 at the end of a second term. The New York Times spoke to 10 experts in aging about what the next six years might look like for a person of that age. They agreed that Biden has a lot going in his favor. https://t.co/gU6CKjvbiB

— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 19, 2022

From the puff piece:

Also left unsaid is that Mr. Biden would be 86 at the end of a second term, should he run in 2024 and win — a fact that his critics have seized upon and that gives even some Democrats pause.

[…]

The New York Times spoke to 10 experts in aging to paint a picture of what the next six years might look like for a person of the president’s age. These experts have not examined or treated Mr. Biden, though they have looked at publicly available information, including a medical report issued by the White House last year, a day before his 79th birthday.

Mr. Biden, these experts agreed, has a lot going in his favor: He is highly educated, has plenty of social interaction, a stimulating job that requires a lot of thinking, is married and has a strong family network — all factors that, studies show, are protective against dementia and conducive to healthy aging. He does not smoke or drink alcohol and, according to the White House, he exercises five times a week. He also has top-notch medical care.

Basically what the Times is telling us is to ignore what we’ve witnessed for the last several years from Joe Biden, including from the time he was running for president:

"Ignore literally everything you see and hear with your own eyes and ears" https://t.co/phsmqxlLeZ

— Fusilli Spock (@awstar11) November 19, 2022

Further, they’re also telling us to overlook the fact that Biden’s presidency is carried out to a large extent by his co-presidents (like WH chief of staff Ron Klain) and his other handlers, all of whom are constantly having to play clean up whenever he goes off script:

“They agreed that Biden has a lot going in his favor.”

Would one of those things be a press almost totally incurious about the repeated signs that Biden is both 1) not up to the mental demands of the presidency & 2) farming out most of the planning to his handlers? 🤔 https://t.co/UcGwLnkXYp

— Tom Kattman (@TomKattman) November 19, 2022

Ultimately it will be up to the voters to decide if their worries about Biden’s age and mental acuity warrant a second look at another candidate. But judging by what pollsters have repeatedly indicated on this question, including the one referenced by the Times, it’s a matter of serious concern to a majority of Americans and one that no amount of media spin will be able to make go away.

— Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym “Sister Toldjah” and can be reached via Twitter. —

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