# Biden v Trump. Why? Please explain to an Aussie **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [February 12, 2024, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-v-trump-why-please-explain-to-an-aussie/997464 "2024-02-12T07:30:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2024, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-v-trump-why-please-explain-to-an-aussie/997464/21 "2024-02-12T12:30:31Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Trump speaks in sentences??? The usual term I’ve heard about Trump’s speach is **word salad**. I don’t think he’s completed a sentence of more than three words since before he was elected. Agreed, but I think it is important to call out that it is not _merely_ that Trump’s speeches are incoherent and bigoted / fascist. But also, if we’re trying to claim that Biden has memory or confusion issues, then _oh my christ_ we can find countless examples of far worse from Trump, from repeatedly forgetting who the president is, to who he’s running against in the primary, to probably confusing dreams with reality (you need to show ID to buy bread). ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2024, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-v-trump-why-please-explain-to-an-aussie/997464/22 "2024-02-12T12:33:49Z")
I agree w/ the OP to the extent that I wish we had better, younger candidates. But I also agree with the majority of respondents that the OP grossly exaggerates Biden’s infirmity. OP - would you like to point out which of Biden’s decision/positions/policies/appointments you believe evidence dementia? ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2024, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-v-trump-why-please-explain-to-an-aussie/997464/23 "2024-02-12T12:39:03Z")
I don’t know about cheese and crackers, but presidents tend to be oldsters compared to prime ministers. Only one U.S. president was ever as young as Justin Trudeau when he became PM. No U.S, president was ever as young, when assuming the top office, as Rishi Sunak. And a couple of current African presidents are older than Biden. Emmanuel Macron Is a young president, but France doesn’t have a pure presidential system. Why do presidents run old? Don’t know. Should those old presidents quit? It depends, but when there’s no parliament that can order you out, it’s hard to arrange. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2024, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-v-trump-why-please-explain-to-an-aussie/997464/24 "2024-02-12T12:47:46Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > Why do presidents run old? Don’t know. Should those old presidents quit? It depends, but when there’s no parliament that can order you out, it’s hard to arrange. This brushes up against the idea (and I’m not accusing you of this, just mentioning it) that a certain age invariably makes a person less able or fit for the Top Job. Biden is a gaffe machine, as has been mentioned for years, and between that, his stutter, and stress, a few slips of the tongue are to be expected. But I don’t think Biden’s slipping. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2024, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-v-trump-why-please-explain-to-an-aussie/997464/25 "2024-02-12T12:49:53Z")
> [@stui\_magpie](#): > > Sorry to burst your bubble mate, but not false, it’s as clear as crystal. The man is in serious decline. It’s a shame, but it happens. Since your premise is false, there’s no point worrying about the conclusions you draw. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2024, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-v-trump-why-please-explain-to-an-aussie/997464/26 "2024-02-12T12:55:40Z")
The OP’s “wheeled out” is particularly ironic because Biden still rides a bicycle in his 80s while Trump likely never learned how, famously rides carts rather than walking the course when golfing, and is strongly rumored to believe exercise is bad for you because it drains an inborn and non-replenishable ration of vitality. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2024, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-v-trump-why-please-explain-to-an-aussie/997464/27 "2024-02-12T12:55:48Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > TIL that the UK doesn’t have a minimum age requirement for their leaders. Interesting. You don’t even need to be British. Irish and Commonwealth citizens can become an MP (and be eligible to be PM), provided they have residency rights in the UK. So we could have a Canadian, a Pakistani or a Barbadian as PM. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2024, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-v-trump-why-please-explain-to-an-aussie/997464/28 "2024-02-12T13:01:38Z")
The OP sounds like someone that gets their info from Fox. > [@stui\_magpie](#): > > Watching getting wheeled out to make statements Cite. Show me the picture of him being ‘wheeled out to make statements’. I mean, it’s possible, but I don’t recall seeing him in a wheelchair. However, you stated that you have and I’m curious about the details of that. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2024, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-v-trump-why-please-explain-to-an-aussie/997464/29 "2024-02-12T13:04:35Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > This brushes up against the idea (and I’m not accusing you of this, just mentioning it) that a certain age invariably makes a person less able or fit for the Top Job. I don’t have an opinion on whether Joe is becoming more fit due to experience, or less fit due to age. But there’s one part of the POTUS job where, even if age is just a number, being an octogenarian likely reduces chances of success. And that is – running for re-election. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2024, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-v-trump-why-please-explain-to-an-aussie/997464/30 "2024-02-12T13:11:02Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > Only one U.S. president was ever as young as Justin Trudeau when he became PM. No U.S, president was ever as young, when assuming the top office, as Rishi Sunak. Actually, there were two US presidents younger than JTrudeau: TRoosevelt and Kennedy. Roosevelt was 42 years, 10 months, and Kennedy was 43 years, 7 months upon inauguration. Trudeau was 43 years, 10 months. Sunak was about half a year younger than TR, so that one is right. As far as the idea that the US always has old presidents, that’s patently wrong. For example, Obama was only 48 or so upon inauguration. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2024, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-v-trump-why-please-explain-to-an-aussie/997464/31 "2024-02-12T13:26:12Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > As far as the idea that the US always has old presidents, that’s patently wrong. For example, Obama was only 48 or so upon inauguration. I don’t have real evidence that national presidents skew older than other sorts of supremos – just a hunch. And I also wanted to participate without piling onto saying stui\_magpie is wrong. There’s nothing we can say to change the fact that a first digit of eight is age number which is going to hurt Joe Biden. Voters who don’t focus on issues do exist and, stui\_magpie, while I dispute your dementia diagnosis, you creatively showed us some of what Biden is up against. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2024, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-v-trump-why-please-explain-to-an-aussie/997464/32 "2024-02-12T13:32:23Z")
| Rank | # | President | Age at Inauguration | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | 46 | Joe Biden | 78 years 61 days | | 2 | 45 | Donald J. Trump | 70 years 220 days | | 3 | 40 | Ronald Reagan | 69 years 348 days | | 4 | 9 | William Henry Harrison | 68 years 23 days | | 5 | 15 | James Buchanan | 65 years 315 days | | 6 | 41 | George H. W. Bush | 64 years 222 days | | 7 | 12 | Zachary Taylor | 64 years 100 days | | 8 | 34 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 62 years 98 days | | 9 | 7 | Andrew Jackson | 61 years 354 days | | 10 | 2 | John Adams | 61 years 125 days | | 11 | 38 | Gerald R. Ford | 61 years 26 days | | 12 | 33 | Harry S. Truman | 60 years 339 days | | 13 | 5 | James Monroe | 58 years 310 days | | 14 | 4 | James Madison | 57 years 353 days | | 15 | 3 | Thomas Jefferson | 57 years 325 days | | 16 | 6 | John Quincy Adams | 57 years 236 days | | 17 | 1 | George Washington | 57 years 68 days | | 18 | 17 | Andrew Johnson | 56 years 107 days | | 19 | 28 | Woodrow Wilson | 56 years 66 days | | 20 | 37 | Richard M. Nixon | 56 years 11 days | | 21 | 24 | Grover Cleveland | 55 years 351 days | | 22 | 23 | Benjamin Harrison | 55 years 196 days | | 23 | 29 | Warren G. Harding | 55 years 122 days | | 24 | 36 | Lyndon B. Johnson | 55 years 87 days | | 25 | 31 | Herbert Hoover | 54 years 206 days | | 26 | 43 | George W. Bush | 54 years 198 days | | 27 | 19 | Rutherford B. Hayes | 54 years 151 days | | 28 | 8 | Martin Van Buren | 54 years 89 days | | 29 | 25 | William McKinley | 54 years 34 days | | 30 | 39 | Jimmy Carter | 52 years 111 days | | 31 | 16 | Abraham Lincoln | 52 years 20 days | | 32 | 21 | Chester A. Arthur | 51 years 349 days | | 33 | 27 | William H. Taft | 51 years 170 days | | 34 | 32 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 51 years 33 days | | 35 | 30 | Calvin Coolidge | 51 years 29 days | | 36 | 10 | John Tyler | 51 years 6 days | | 37 | 13 | Millard Fillmore | 50 years 183 days | | 38 | 11 | James K. Polk | 49 years 123 days | | 39 | 20 | James A. Garfield | 49 years 105 days | | 40 | 14 | Franklin Pierce | 48 years 101 days | | 41 | 22 | Grover Cleveland | 47 years 351 days | | 42 | 44 | Barack Obama | 47 years 169 days | | 43 | 18 | Ulysses S. Grant | 46 years 311 days | | 44 | 42 | Bill Clinton | 46 years 154 days | | 45 | 35 | John F. Kennedy | 43 years 236 days | | 46 | 26 | Theodore Roosevelt | 42 years 322 days | ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2024, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-v-trump-why-please-explain-to-an-aussie/997464/33 "2024-02-12T14:10:35Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > But there’s one part of the POTUS job where, even if age is just a number, being an octogenarian likely reduces chances of success. And that is – running for re-election. Well if Biden wins, he can’t run again so that’s not a problem at all. The same is true of Trump. ---
**Author:** ![TeroSunbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terosunbear/32/14748_2.png) [@TeroSunbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeroSunbear)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2024, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-v-trump-why-please-explain-to-an-aussie/997464/34 "2024-02-12T16:09:37Z")
Biden: We run the elected candidate. He is in, he has that, if he has at least a 40% approval. Gerry Ford was not running as he was in fact never elected. Trump: He is getting revenge. MAGA people are getting revenge. Against foreigners, China and the elites. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2024, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-v-trump-why-please-explain-to-an-aussie/997464/35 "2024-02-12T16:20:59Z")
Setting aside the specific complaints about both Biden & Trump, the process for selecting the President in the US has a lot of structural issues that, to an outsider AND an insider leave one saying, “How did we end up with these two as our choices?” First off, both of them are coming into the election having served a term as President. So, they are both running as “incumbents”, a rare occurrence historically. For voters and the Party structures, there are huge advantages to being an incumbent, compared to other candidates. In that they are familiar, and have proven success in electoral politics. There is an enormous risk in trying to organize around an alternative to an incumbent. Stepping back, our State level primary/caucus process seems to me to be a poor way to select our top candidates. Due to the money raising aspect, and the calendar, generally a tiny handful of States get to decide who goes forward. Often these deciders are zealots and State party functionaries, as turnout is relatively low. For voters in the remaining States, their preferred candidate is often already out of the running. So they are left with endorsing the front-runner, or not participating (voting). It is sometimes said that the primary process is not really about selecting the best, but instead eliminating the lesser candidates, until you have the “last man (or woman) standing”. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2024, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-v-trump-why-please-explain-to-an-aussie/997464/36 "2024-02-12T16:28:07Z")
> [@stui\_magpie](#): > > Look, Biden is a decent well meaning bloke with decades of public service behind him, but his cheese is barely clinging to his cracker. He’s showing all the signs of dementia and that ain’t going to get better. Watching getting wheeled out to make statements is like watching Weekend at Bernies, the man should be in a nursing home with a blanket on his lap, not running the USA. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/A20qXPAOTpQ/maxresdefault.jpg "President Joe Biden goes for a bike ride in Delaware while on vacation in Rehoboth Beach") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A20qXPAOTpQ&t=1) Well, he wheels around just fine, Trump can’t use a bicycle. Speaking about “his cheese is barely clinging to his cracker” he already demonstrated that he knows how to get capable people to take care of the business of government who don’t leave early and often. That Trump had many of “the best people” that he chooses leaving office early and often (and many times in disgrace), shows already who not to vote now. Flawed as Biden can be, he is still the best choice since Trump has been reported to feel betrayed by the ones he chose before and now has reported to be looking for total loyalists… That will not be conductive to good government, the chances that his appointments in a theoretical 2nd administration will be even worse than the last one, were magnified (Magafied?) 200%. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2024, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-v-trump-why-please-explain-to-an-aussie/997464/37 "2024-02-12T16:28:42Z")
> [@stui\_magpie](#): > > He’s showing all the signs of dementia and that ain’t going to get better. This is incorrect and uninformed. Look, I live in a retirement community. We have people here from, well, my age (mid-70s) to over 100. Believe me, I know dementia onset when I see it, and Biden doesn’t fit the profile. He doesn’t speak well because he has a speech impediment and has never spoken all that well. He moves carefully on uneven surfaces, which is definitely wise as you get older. But his analytical skills are there, as are his decision-making abilities. And one must remember that he doesn’t make decisions in a vacuum (unlike his adversary). There is a large contingent of advisors and staff who actively analyze any important matters before a policy is acted on. The stress of that office is enormous; if you look at before and after photos of past presidents, they age rapidly during an eight-year stint (or at least they do if they’re actually doing the job). If you want to see demented and non-functional, look at video of some bygone members of Congress who literally had to be wheeled onto the floor and then told how to vote. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2024, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-v-trump-why-please-explain-to-an-aussie/997464/38 "2024-02-12T16:28:45Z")
From what I can see, Americans will not admit any decline in Biden. No, he doesn’t have dementia or any serious cognitive issues. Yes, he is in good shape for his age. However, what decline is apparent must not be acknowledged lest… something. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2024, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-v-trump-why-please-explain-to-an-aussie/997464/39 "2024-02-12T16:37:31Z")
Not really, I said elsewhere that one should choose the old fellow that has some memory issues that has showed no ill-intent, rather than the old guy **that willfully forgets** and has ill-intent as a feature. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2024, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-v-trump-why-please-explain-to-an-aussie/997464/40 "2024-02-12T16:54:38Z")
> [@stui\_magpie](#): > > Look, Biden is a decent well meaning bloke with decades of public service behind him, but his cheese is barely clinging to his cracker. He’s showing all the signs of dementia You seem to be confused and/or bereft of diagnostic skills. Verbal slip-ups and misstatements have been common among far younger politicians but are magnified when you have someone Biden’s age. Meanwhile, Trump in his late 70s issues a constant barrage of goofs and craziness, [confuses Biden with Obama](https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2023/11/12/trump-has-confused-obama-and-biden-at-least-7-times-in-recent-months-amid-other-notable-gaffes/?sh=156477274be6) and recently congratulated the Kansas City Chiefs “from the great state of Kansas”. Oopsie. Many think both these candidates are too old and should hang it up. The immediate issue is their track record and what we can expect from a new four-year term. Voters have already demonstrated that perception of mild mental impairment is far less concerning than the prospect of installing an sleazeball in a position of power (electing Fetterman over Oz in the Pennsylvania Senate race). Thus for many, Biden looks like a far better bet than an arguably more impaired Trump. And remember, [Tommy Shanks](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDHbOb-9J30) beat the slimy Vic Hedges in the Melonville mayoral race. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-v-trump-why-please-explain-to-an-aussie/997464.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-v-trump-why-please-explain-to-an-aussie/997464.md?page=3)