After officially launching his reelection campaign, President Joe Biden, 80, has raised concerns about his fitness to serve another term.
They are concerned that Biden, who will be 86 at the end of his second presidency, is already showing signs of ‘cognitive deterioration’ and that the stress of another presidency may worsen his condition and increase the likelihood of an on-screen accident.
The President’s first term has been distinguished by many high-profile blunders, mishaps, and visual signs of disorientation, such as stumbling up the steps of Air Force One and falling off his bike in Delaware.
Biden’s regular physical test showed seven issues, including a heart ailment that causes the muscle to pulse excessively quickly, producing dizziness and confusion. He’s also had two brain aneurysms.
‘If I were his geriatrician, I would dissuade him from campaigning,’ said Dr. Elena Mucci, a geriatrician member of the American College of Physicians. “I would vehemently oppose it.’
“If you were to survey healthcare professionals, geriatricians, cardiologists, I don’t think you’d find a single physician who would say it’s a good thing for an 86-year-old to become president, both for the sake of his health and for the sake of his country,” Dr Mucci added.
Biden has had atrial fibrillation, also known as an irregular heartbeat, since 2003. He takes the blood thinner apixaban, marketed under Eliquis to address his heart disease.
“If you open any medical book, one of the symptoms of atrial fibrillation is weariness,” said Dr Mucci.
“That will limit his activity, and not just limit his activity; he may not be physically able to complete all of his obligations. It’s simply impossible with these circumstances at that age.”
‘The increased risk is not only from the fibrillation but also from side effects from the drug,’ Dr. Stuart Fischer, an internal medicine specialist in New York, added.
“These patients take blood thinners, and people who take these drugs are in danger of internal bleeding or serious repercussions from a fall.”
Biden tripped up the stairs of Air Force One two months ago as he returned to the United States from a three-day trip to Europe.
In March 2021, he fell up the same steps just two months into his presidency. He also crashed off his bike in June while on vacation in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
Dr. Fischer claims that their falls become more frequent and severe as people age.
“If someone falls and strikes their head or hips while on a blood thinner, there is a higher risk of a medical emergency than for persons not on anticoagulants,” he said.
“A head injury while taking an anticoagulant can be disastrous,” he says.
In his current health report, Dr. Fischer stated that Biden’s elevated cholesterol is a risk factor for a heart attack, stroke, or renal disease.
“The blood supply to the heart, kidney, and brain gradually becomes compromised throughout our lifetimes,” said Dr. Fischer.
“The longer we live, the more likely we will have impaired circulation.”
According to an Associated Press poll released this week, only 26% of Americans and 47% of Democrats want Biden to run for a second term.
According to poll respondents, his age was the most significant source of concern.
According to a separate CNBC All-America Economic Survey, 70% of voters do not want Biden to run, citing his age as the primary reason.
“In a scenario like President Biden, there is a higher amount of responsibility,” Dr. Fischer said.
“He would be the oldest President in history, and you couldn’t be at the top of your game in any field at that age. Mother Nature is not deceived. No one can, no matter how hard we try.”
Biden has avoided publicly acknowledging or addressing worries about his cognitive deterioration.
He debunked charges that he was too elderly and psychologically unfit to be President last year. ‘Watch me,’ he said during an interview with CBS correspondent Scott Pelley.
However, according to Dr. Mucci, it is usual for people to minimize their cognitive challenges.
“Whether you lose your presidency, your driving license, or your work, you will be subjectively under-appreciating your symptoms and not placing enough importance on those symptoms,” she said.
“I believe Biden is aware of what is going on, but he has not publicly recognized it because he does not want to lose the president.”
According to Dr. Dung Trinh, an internal medicine physician in California, Biden’s health conditions and advanced age increase his risk of dementia.
“As we age, we lose about 1% of our brain volume per year,” he said.
‘The danger of having Alzheimer’s for someone over 70 versus someone over 65 — that risk doubles in five years.
‘If you’re in your mid-80s, 85s, or older, roughly 30-40% of people show some modest symptoms of cognitive loss.’
Dr. Todd Grande, a mental health expert in Biden’s home state of Delaware, stated that Biden’s ‘performance in logic and memory deteriorates.’
‘It’s difficult to conceive how he is fit to be president under these conditions,’ Dr. Grande continued.
Despite rising worries about Biden’s mental state, the President’s doctors awarded him a perfect health report in February.
In a five-page assessment, he stated that the President is still a “healthy, vigorous, 80-year-old male who is fit to execute the duties of the Presidency successfully.”
But the embarrassing gaffes have persisted. While delivering a speech in Ireland last month, Biden, who boasts about his Irish roots, inadvertently referred to British forces that tortured Irish people rather than a New Zealand rugby club.
Biden has mainly shrugged off his gaffes. Refers to himself as a ‘gaffe machine’ in 2018.
Dr. Mucci, on the other hand, believes they are an indication of degeneration.
‘It’s tough to say what we’re dealing with; is this just normal aging? Or is this modest cognitive impairment a precursor to dementia? And only time will tell,’ she added.
‘If he is experiencing age-related changes, there will be a gradual and continuing deterioration. It’s unavoidable. However, his memory will deteriorate considerably faster if he has mild cognitive impairment.
‘Approximately 10 to 15% of persons with mild cognitive impairment develop dementia.’
She stated that even if the slips of the tongue do not indicate a deeper problem, becoming a good president at such an advanced age is a hard assignment.
‘In my personal and professional view, no [he will not be an effective leader].
‘The reason for this is because [he] will invariably be placed in a position where very critical judgments must be made in the blink of an eye, in stressful conditions, in a very short period of time.
‘Someone who is 80 or older and experiencing all of these age-related changes to the brain may not have the brain processing speed to examine, process, and assimilate the information rapidly enough to make vital judgments. That is not ageism; it is simply common sense.’
‘He might not have dementia; he might not have moderate cognitive impairment,’ she noted. This could be due to normal aging, but someone of that caliber must be sharp. I don’t think it’s acceptable for someone in his position to forget things.’
President Joe Biden has generated headlines recently for things he has said and done that have nothing to do with policy.
Instead, the 79-year-old has a penchant for gaffes.
Biden makes blunders, mix-ups, and even stray during speeches or when addressing questions.
The President has even been caught tripping a few times, prompting concerns about his physical condition.
REPEATEDLY MIXING UP LIBYA AND SYRIA
Biden repeatedly confused Syria with Libya while discussing ways of working with Russia during a press conference at the G7 on June 13.
The 78-year-old gaffe machine spoke of working with Russian President Vladimir Putin to provide economic assistance to the people of Libya, prompting some confused glances from the press pack at the G7 summit in Cornwall, England.
‘I’m hopeful that we can find an accommodation where we can save the lives of people in — for example, in — in Libya,’ the President said, mentioning the north African country for the third time instead of Syria, which is in the Middle East.
The White House later brushed the confusion off, confirming that the President was referring to Syria, where Russia and the US have been involved in a decade-long civil war.
According to the Columbia Tribune, Graham said he was never offended by the mistake.
