Yes, President Biden is Far Better Than Trump, But it Doesn’t Dispel Worries About His Age
I’m publishing this series of articles to share and discuss my ruminations on coping with a troubled and messy world. You can “follow” me to never miss an article.
Trump’s outburst about not coming to the defense of any of NATO’s members if they were attacked by Russia — even worse, by his threatening to allow Russia to do “whatever the hell they want” — has caused its members grave concern[i]. Since many feel that they can no longer depend on the U.S, they worry that they are completely on their own when it comes to their Defense. As a result, they are considering buttressing up their own Nuclear Arsenals. Nonetheless, the Fear is that it’s a bad bargain because without one another, it ends up putting both NATO and the U.S. in greater jeopardy, and thereby the World.
In the same edition of The New York Times, David French argues that because of his age, President Biden’s ever-increasing memory lapses and flubs will only get worse, thus seriously jeopardizing a second term[ii].
In French’s words:
“Of course, none of this means that Trump is a better candidate for the presidency than Biden. But ‘better than Trump’ is the lowest bar imaginable. Trump is a corrupt and confused 77-year-old who’s facing trial on dozens of felony counts in four separate criminal cases and has recently been found liable for sexual abuse and defamation.
“But I can know that Biden would be far better than Trump and still be concerned that he’s not up to the challenge of governing for four more years. ‘Better than Trump’ doesn’t mean that he’d continue to respond to profound foreign and domestic challenges with clarity and energy. ‘Better than Trump’ doesn’t mean we can count on him finishing a second term.
‘Better than Trump’ doesn’t even necessarily mean that he can beat Trump in November.”
While we know beyond any doubt that Trump is despicable through and through, we are left in a deep quandary. President Biden is an honorable and decent man who’s accomplished a great deal in his first term. But his age can no longer be ignored. Would that he would step aside. But to whom?
We’re already suffering from far too much anxiety in a World on the constant brink of Disaster. How much more can we bear?
[i] David E. Sanger, ”NATO Weighs Isolation After Trump Outburst,” The New York Times, Monday, February 12, 2024, PP A1 and A9.
[ii] David French, “Yes, Biden’s Age Matters,” The New York Times, Monday, February 12, 2024, P A19.
Ian I. Mitroff is credited as being one of the principal founders of the modern field of Crisis Management. He has a BS, MS, and a PhD in Engineering and the Philosophy of Social Systems Science from UC Berkeley. He Is Professor Emeritus from the Marshall School of Business and the Annenberg School of Communication at USC. Currently, he is a Senior Research Affiliate in the Center for Catastrophic Risk Management, UC Berkeley. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Academy of Management. He has published 41 books. His latest is: The Socially Responsible Organization: Lessons from Covid, Springer, New York, 2022.
