Drinking dozens of Cokes and popping a few Adderall every day will make someone seem both energetic and mentally agitated. He looks morbidly obese. The lifts in his shoes cause him to pitch forward significantly and make me suspect he isn't even 6' tall.
“Bornstein provided no evidence for such a wild claim and, before his death in 2021, told CNN that Trump had dictated the entire letter to him.”
It’s amazing Trump is able to find doctors just as ethically challenged as his lawyers.
I do hope he continues on the health plan he currently is on whether it’s one or two Big Macs and fish whatevers followed by no exercise and possibly an Adderall for dessert.
Seeing his demise and that of Trumpism is enough reason for me to eat right, exercise and get enough sleep.
Some people are obsessed with Biden's age because they have no other negatives about him to talk or write about. Bidenomits is working, his Presidency is drama, crisis and scandal free unlike Trump's
Like you, Chris, I am just amazed that the MAGA crowd seems to see NO ISSUE whatsoever with Trump's age, poor diet, and lack of exercise routine (sorry, but golf does NOT qualify as "exercise": you ride in a cart and park it as close to your ball as you can...). As you point out, he's only 3 years younger, but that the poll numbers show that's not as much of an issue in voters' minds as it clearly SHOULD be!
I think what it all comes down to is that Trump harps on Biden's age repeatedly, and Biden has the class not to do the same to Trump. I agree, that NEEDS to change, for the sake of Biden's re-election. It's a really tough dilemma but you're completely correct: the Biden campaign needs to do SOMETHING about that perception and they need to do it NOW!!
Larry, I just think that Biden has to face the reality of his situation: Huge swaths of people think he is too old to be president again. I know he is running against Trump. I know Trump has LOTS of problems with the electorate. But both things can be true: Trump can be deeply flawed AND Biden can have major issues with the electorate.
If he’s smart, and that’s always questionable with him, he’ll pick a much younger person. Someone like Nikki Haley would be smart, as she has a likability factor, is young, female, and of color. It might make Kamala Harris’ lack of likability a wash (I’ve personally never really understood that whole thing with her: I’m a Californian and I’ve followed Kamala for YEARS and she’s a badass! I would be 100% behind a “Madam President Harris”)
Though Vivek is more of a suck-up and an “outsider” like Trump likes to think he is, I’m not so sure he’d want to be potentially “upstaged” by him. And frankly, he scares the shit out of me: he shows SUCH a lack of forethought in his comments and has such a serious lack of knowledge of just about ANYTHING related to the Presidency or policy, he would be worse than Trump himself! I could live with a “President Haley” (if, god forbid, Trump got re-elected and died in office) and we could be assured that our democracy would remain intact, but a “President Ramaswamy” would be equally as authoritarian as Trump, though without the pettiness or narcissism....
I wish I had that confidence, Abubakar, but I don’t. My adult children asked me in 2016 what I’d do if Trump were elected, and I made the mistake of telling them “Don’t worry about it: he’ll NEVER get elected”. As an aside, I was in NYC for a tradeshow at Javits Convention Center, and the Clinton campaign had booked the atrium for her victory celebration (the glass ceiling there was supposed to be a metaphor for her rise to the Presidency and “breaking the glass ceiling”), and I had signed up on the guess list to attend such an “historic moment”. Suffice to say, I sat in my hotel room, staring in disbelief at CNN the rest of the night instead (and drinking an entire bottle of red wine by myself). The vibe of the entire tradeshow (for the broadcast industry) was so somber and down the next day.... I take absolutely NOTHING for granted now....
My father-in-law was one of the directors at Gallup who worked with the networks on Election Day, and he told me in the spring of 2016 that there was no way Trump would win because of what the polls were saying. We all know how that turned out. Unfortunately, my father-in-law died unexpectedly of a heart attack that May, so he never got to see the results of the election. I'm pretty sure he was turning over in his grave when Trump won.
If anyone needs proof of Biden’s good health, I would recommend that ANYONE try to keep up with his schedule. Yes, he speaks and walks slower and thinks deeper and more careful about his words and actions than Trump. He’s old but there’s no way most of us could keep up with him!!!!! God Bless Him!!!
But there has been reporting in credible outlets that suggest that his staff limits the length of his days -- and when he holds events -- to try to avoid him from getting too tired.
My takeaway from that is the opposite. I was my parents' primary caregiver in their 80s. I managed their days, events, and activities to ensure they were able to perform at the highest level they were capable of. It is a highly manageable situation. Joe's smart enough to have surrounded himself with a support team which ensures he's at his best.
And limiting excess hours in order to achieve a goal is not just the purview of the octogenarian. I'm in my 60s, but when I wanted to be up at 3am for the Artemis 1 last November I took a nap after dinner. Were I still in my 20s I probably would have been in front of the TV with a 6-pack all evening.
I agree with you, Chris. Biden and his team need to do something to counter the claims that he is too old. I do think perception is a large part of it. As I said previously, Trump is dying his hair, has that ridiculously stupid combover, uses some sort of orange make up, etc.. Biden has too much class to be going down that rabbit hole of claiming too old, too unhealthy, about Trump. There are far too many other things that they can hammer Trump on.
Yeah, Elaine, I don't think this is about Biden getting in the gutter with Trump about age and ability. I am sure that's exactly the fight Trump wants -- and I am not sure what a "win" looks like there for Biden.
At the same time, it seems clear to me that Biden HAS to find a way to more effectively talk about his age sometime during this campaign. It's not an issue that is going to just go away -- and Trump will frame it in the worst possible way.
I agree that Biden must avoid getting in the gutter with Trump. I believe there's an old adage about not wrestling pigs in the mud. Joe's surrogates need to get their hands dirty. I'm just trying to figure out who those surrogates are. Obama for sure. Schumer tries but he doesn't connect. Harris is disliked, and that just reeks of racism and misogyny. I'd like Mark Kelly to speak up. I haven't heard much from Dick Durbin recently. Hickenlooper, Warnock, Ossoff, Ed Markey, Liz Warren, Klobuchar, Debbie Stabenow, Cory Booker all need to join the chorus that Biden's not too old and flog the Trump's physiologically older than Joe.
Pffffft. He's in great health! Why, he grew an inch and lost over 20 pounds just from the time of his last indictment! What a great portrait of physical health he is!
Biden is showing just normal signs of aging, but that does not mean that you are not fit for the job as President. He might speak slower, but listen to what he says; it makes total sense. He has been known for his gaffes, so that is nothing new.
Maybe the Media including you, Chris, need to focus more on what Biden has done, and give it more attention.
T The choice in 2024 is between keeping the Democracy or becoming a Dictatorship under Trump, who will do everything to be President for life if elected.
People blame the media whenever there are stories they don't like. Concerns about Biden's age are not a function of the media. Joe would be 86 by the end of another term. Can anyone seriously deny that it's difficult to see someone in his mid-80s being up to the world's most difficult job? I meet people on a regular basis who are worried about Biden's age and mental acuity. Some of those people are close to his age and explain to me how their energy and focus has diminished in their most recent decade. It is perfectly true that Biden and the Ds have achieved a great deal in his term. But it is also true that concerns about his age and the Hunter issues pose a risk of losing to Trump- and that's a risk we can't afford to take. Trump's cult will turn out no matter what. The question is how many low info or middle of the road voters will stay home or vote 3rd party.
I will caution people not to compare the HEALTH of Joe Biden with that of Donald Trump because we're not privy to their medical records. Just because Biden is 3 years older than Trump does not necessarily mean that he is less healthy than Trump. I know lots of 80 years old people who are much healthier than 77 years old physically and mentally. We can talk about their ages(which is not significantly different in my book), but leave their health to their Doctors. (By the way not Doctors like late Dr. Bornstein )
We know age is a risk factor for ill-health and so is Obesity. When you have both like Trump at 77 ,Obviously Obese and probably morbidly( I don't believe anything Trump says and we don't know his real BMI) your risk for ill-health like Heart Disease , Diabetes etc is significantly increased.
It's not a binary choice between Trump's health and Biden's. Indeed, there are myriad reasons to reject Trump before one even considers his health- e.g., criminality, ignorance, and malignant narcissism. The serious risk some Ds are slow to realize is that low information and middle of the road voters will stay home or vote 3rd party. Trump's cult and diehard Rs who vote only based on their pocketbooks (ie, for low taxes) will turn out no matter what. Ds need those in the middle and Biden's age and the issues around Hunter may preclude getting the votes we need to prevent a disastrous second Trump term.
Very good point Mr Todd. The fact is that Trump and his criminal indictments and Abortion ban as well as Bidenomics successes would motivate the Independents, suburbanites and Democrats to go to the polls to vote in 2024 just like they did in 2020 and voted Trump out of the office.
Sadly, Trump gets a pass on the health issue just like so many other things that he's done in his life that have been overlooked. I'm still not convinced that he'll be convicted of any crimes.
He does seem to have some skill at skating by situations that would end the careers of other politicians. I am not totally sure what's that about, but it is amazing.
The polls say 77%. What is the actual raw numbers of people responding to the poll? The sample size of people responding to polls is always concerning because they’re typically small and not representative of the majority of the nation, just the majority of poll respondents. The media then runs with this number presenting it as if a majority of the nation is concerned when once again it’s a small percentage of poll respondents. Additionally, the media will run more stories about Biden’s age as compared to Trump and then act as if stories they repeatedly focus on have no impact on viewers, readers and listeners- it’s not us (the media) it’s the polls. I’m old enough (pun intended) to remember how much of the media overly focused on HRC’s emails then pretended it was voters who had concerns🙄
Because he has the energy and zeal, of someone truly mentally ill.
Yeah, you don’t see many lethargic psychopaths.
He’s manic.
Drinking dozens of Cokes and popping a few Adderall every day will make someone seem both energetic and mentally agitated. He looks morbidly obese. The lifts in his shoes cause him to pitch forward significantly and make me suspect he isn't even 6' tall.
“Bornstein provided no evidence for such a wild claim and, before his death in 2021, told CNN that Trump had dictated the entire letter to him.”
It’s amazing Trump is able to find doctors just as ethically challenged as his lawyers.
I do hope he continues on the health plan he currently is on whether it’s one or two Big Macs and fish whatevers followed by no exercise and possibly an Adderall for dessert.
Seeing his demise and that of Trumpism is enough reason for me to eat right, exercise and get enough sleep.
Some people are obsessed with Biden's age because they have no other negatives about him to talk or write about. Bidenomits is working, his Presidency is drama, crisis and scandal free unlike Trump's
Like you, Chris, I am just amazed that the MAGA crowd seems to see NO ISSUE whatsoever with Trump's age, poor diet, and lack of exercise routine (sorry, but golf does NOT qualify as "exercise": you ride in a cart and park it as close to your ball as you can...). As you point out, he's only 3 years younger, but that the poll numbers show that's not as much of an issue in voters' minds as it clearly SHOULD be!
I think what it all comes down to is that Trump harps on Biden's age repeatedly, and Biden has the class not to do the same to Trump. I agree, that NEEDS to change, for the sake of Biden's re-election. It's a really tough dilemma but you're completely correct: the Biden campaign needs to do SOMETHING about that perception and they need to do it NOW!!
Larry, I just think that Biden has to face the reality of his situation: Huge swaths of people think he is too old to be president again. I know he is running against Trump. I know Trump has LOTS of problems with the electorate. But both things can be true: Trump can be deeply flawed AND Biden can have major issues with the electorate.
Clearly, you’re right, Chris: the poll numbers tell the story pretty clearly....
Who’s Trump going to put a heartbeat away from the presidency?
If he’s smart, and that’s always questionable with him, he’ll pick a much younger person. Someone like Nikki Haley would be smart, as she has a likability factor, is young, female, and of color. It might make Kamala Harris’ lack of likability a wash (I’ve personally never really understood that whole thing with her: I’m a Californian and I’ve followed Kamala for YEARS and she’s a badass! I would be 100% behind a “Madam President Harris”)
Well, you can’t be too careful making that pick, tho. Yond Vivek has a lean and hungry look.
Though Vivek is more of a suck-up and an “outsider” like Trump likes to think he is, I’m not so sure he’d want to be potentially “upstaged” by him. And frankly, he scares the shit out of me: he shows SUCH a lack of forethought in his comments and has such a serious lack of knowledge of just about ANYTHING related to the Presidency or policy, he would be worse than Trump himself! I could live with a “President Haley” (if, god forbid, Trump got re-elected and died in office) and we could be assured that our democracy would remain intact, but a “President Ramaswamy” would be equally as authoritarian as Trump, though without the pettiness or narcissism....
He will never be President again though so it doesn't matter really who he picks
I wish I had that confidence, Abubakar, but I don’t. My adult children asked me in 2016 what I’d do if Trump were elected, and I made the mistake of telling them “Don’t worry about it: he’ll NEVER get elected”. As an aside, I was in NYC for a tradeshow at Javits Convention Center, and the Clinton campaign had booked the atrium for her victory celebration (the glass ceiling there was supposed to be a metaphor for her rise to the Presidency and “breaking the glass ceiling”), and I had signed up on the guess list to attend such an “historic moment”. Suffice to say, I sat in my hotel room, staring in disbelief at CNN the rest of the night instead (and drinking an entire bottle of red wine by myself). The vibe of the entire tradeshow (for the broadcast industry) was so somber and down the next day.... I take absolutely NOTHING for granted now....
My father-in-law was one of the directors at Gallup who worked with the networks on Election Day, and he told me in the spring of 2016 that there was no way Trump would win because of what the polls were saying. We all know how that turned out. Unfortunately, my father-in-law died unexpectedly of a heart attack that May, so he never got to see the results of the election. I'm pretty sure he was turning over in his grave when Trump won.
Knowing how much of a devotee Trump is to Norman Vincent Peale I believe he would absolutely endorse that way of thinking.
If anyone needs proof of Biden’s good health, I would recommend that ANYONE try to keep up with his schedule. Yes, he speaks and walks slower and thinks deeper and more careful about his words and actions than Trump. He’s old but there’s no way most of us could keep up with him!!!!! God Bless Him!!!
But there has been reporting in credible outlets that suggest that his staff limits the length of his days -- and when he holds events -- to try to avoid him from getting too tired.
Which would concern me if I was a Democrat!
My takeaway from that is the opposite. I was my parents' primary caregiver in their 80s. I managed their days, events, and activities to ensure they were able to perform at the highest level they were capable of. It is a highly manageable situation. Joe's smart enough to have surrounded himself with a support team which ensures he's at his best.
And limiting excess hours in order to achieve a goal is not just the purview of the octogenarian. I'm in my 60s, but when I wanted to be up at 3am for the Artemis 1 last November I took a nap after dinner. Were I still in my 20s I probably would have been in front of the TV with a 6-pack all evening.
Dang, I go to bed at 9:00 and I have since I was a kid, unless I had to supervise a prom or football game, etc.
If Trump did pancake on the make-up the perception would be different.
And I am skeptical Trump is only 215! Closer to 300 would be my assessment
I agree with you, Chris. Biden and his team need to do something to counter the claims that he is too old. I do think perception is a large part of it. As I said previously, Trump is dying his hair, has that ridiculously stupid combover, uses some sort of orange make up, etc.. Biden has too much class to be going down that rabbit hole of claiming too old, too unhealthy, about Trump. There are far too many other things that they can hammer Trump on.
Yeah, Elaine, I don't think this is about Biden getting in the gutter with Trump about age and ability. I am sure that's exactly the fight Trump wants -- and I am not sure what a "win" looks like there for Biden.
At the same time, it seems clear to me that Biden HAS to find a way to more effectively talk about his age sometime during this campaign. It's not an issue that is going to just go away -- and Trump will frame it in the worst possible way.
I agree that Biden must avoid getting in the gutter with Trump. I believe there's an old adage about not wrestling pigs in the mud. Joe's surrogates need to get their hands dirty. I'm just trying to figure out who those surrogates are. Obama for sure. Schumer tries but he doesn't connect. Harris is disliked, and that just reeks of racism and misogyny. I'd like Mark Kelly to speak up. I haven't heard much from Dick Durbin recently. Hickenlooper, Warnock, Ossoff, Ed Markey, Liz Warren, Klobuchar, Debbie Stabenow, Cory Booker all need to join the chorus that Biden's not too old and flog the Trump's physiologically older than Joe.
Pffffft. He's in great health! Why, he grew an inch and lost over 20 pounds just from the time of his last indictment! What a great portrait of physical health he is!
I don't completely trust the polls though. Remember the same polls told us that there was going to be a red wave last year but that never happened
Biden is showing just normal signs of aging, but that does not mean that you are not fit for the job as President. He might speak slower, but listen to what he says; it makes total sense. He has been known for his gaffes, so that is nothing new.
Maybe the Media including you, Chris, need to focus more on what Biden has done, and give it more attention.
T The choice in 2024 is between keeping the Democracy or becoming a Dictatorship under Trump, who will do everything to be President for life if elected.
People blame the media whenever there are stories they don't like. Concerns about Biden's age are not a function of the media. Joe would be 86 by the end of another term. Can anyone seriously deny that it's difficult to see someone in his mid-80s being up to the world's most difficult job? I meet people on a regular basis who are worried about Biden's age and mental acuity. Some of those people are close to his age and explain to me how their energy and focus has diminished in their most recent decade. It is perfectly true that Biden and the Ds have achieved a great deal in his term. But it is also true that concerns about his age and the Hunter issues pose a risk of losing to Trump- and that's a risk we can't afford to take. Trump's cult will turn out no matter what. The question is how many low info or middle of the road voters will stay home or vote 3rd party.
“I mean I walk, I this, I that.” ... my exercise routine is Presidential!!
I will caution people not to compare the HEALTH of Joe Biden with that of Donald Trump because we're not privy to their medical records. Just because Biden is 3 years older than Trump does not necessarily mean that he is less healthy than Trump. I know lots of 80 years old people who are much healthier than 77 years old physically and mentally. We can talk about their ages(which is not significantly different in my book), but leave their health to their Doctors. (By the way not Doctors like late Dr. Bornstein )
We know age is a risk factor for ill-health and so is Obesity. When you have both like Trump at 77 ,Obviously Obese and probably morbidly( I don't believe anything Trump says and we don't know his real BMI) your risk for ill-health like Heart Disease , Diabetes etc is significantly increased.
It's not a binary choice between Trump's health and Biden's. Indeed, there are myriad reasons to reject Trump before one even considers his health- e.g., criminality, ignorance, and malignant narcissism. The serious risk some Ds are slow to realize is that low information and middle of the road voters will stay home or vote 3rd party. Trump's cult and diehard Rs who vote only based on their pocketbooks (ie, for low taxes) will turn out no matter what. Ds need those in the middle and Biden's age and the issues around Hunter may preclude getting the votes we need to prevent a disastrous second Trump term.
Very good point Mr Todd. The fact is that Trump and his criminal indictments and Abortion ban as well as Bidenomics successes would motivate the Independents, suburbanites and Democrats to go to the polls to vote in 2024 just like they did in 2020 and voted Trump out of the office.
That wasn't my point. I certainly hope your confidence in the outcome is justified, but the polls tell a very different story. Thanks for the exchange
Let me put it this way - for which man would you be most surprised to learn died suddenly from a heart attack? Trump or Biden?
Sadly, Trump gets a pass on the health issue just like so many other things that he's done in his life that have been overlooked. I'm still not convinced that he'll be convicted of any crimes.
He does seem to have some skill at skating by situations that would end the careers of other politicians. I am not totally sure what's that about, but it is amazing.
The polls say 77%. What is the actual raw numbers of people responding to the poll? The sample size of people responding to polls is always concerning because they’re typically small and not representative of the majority of the nation, just the majority of poll respondents. The media then runs with this number presenting it as if a majority of the nation is concerned when once again it’s a small percentage of poll respondents. Additionally, the media will run more stories about Biden’s age as compared to Trump and then act as if stories they repeatedly focus on have no impact on viewers, readers and listeners- it’s not us (the media) it’s the polls. I’m old enough (pun intended) to remember how much of the media overly focused on HRC’s emails then pretended it was voters who had concerns🙄