America's choice: the forgetful old man or the demagogue?
A series of recent blunders have brought the spotlight back on Biden's mental acuity

There was good news and bad news for Joe Biden in last week's report on his handling of classified documents, said David A. Graham in The Atlantic.
The good news is that it found that his careless storage of government documents didn't warrant criminal charges. The bad news is that special counsel Robert Hur delivered "a devastating portrayal of Biden's mental acuity". There was no chance of a conviction, Hur said, because any jury would view Biden as "a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory".
In interviews, the 81-year-old had allegedly struggled to recall when his term as vice-president began and ended. Nor could he remember, "even within several years", when his son Beau died. Biden hit back at the report, insisting that his memory was fine; and his allies accused Hur, a Trump appointee, of bad faith.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Plenty of evidence
Biden's problem is that there is plenty of supporting evidence for Hur's point, said Peter Bergen on CNN. At one event last week, Biden confused Emmanuel Macron with the former French leader François Mitterrand, who died in 1996. At another, he struggled to remember the name of the terrorist group Hamas. Even at the press conference in which he angrily defended his memory, he referred to Egypt's Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as the president of Mexico. No wonder Biden's handlers keep his unscripted appearances to a minimum, said Noah Rothman in National Review. The "enfeebled" president "just isn't up to this aspect of the job, and Americans have noticed".
Trump is not immune to mix-ups
Clearly, Biden is bad at names and dates, said Andrew Prokop on Vox. It's embarrassing, but not in itself "disqualifying for the presidency". There's still no evidence that his governing ability has been impaired in any way. Besides, Trump is hardly immune to such mix-ups. In recent months, he has claimed at least seven times either that Barack Obama is president, or that he ran against Obama; mixed up his Republican rival Nikki Haley with the former Democratic speaker Nancy Pelosi; and identified a picture of E. Jean Carroll, who accused him of rape, as a picture of his ex-wife, Marla Maples. America isn't spoiled for choice when it comes to its presidential nominees-in-waiting, said Ingrid Jacques in USA Today. On one side is a doddery 81-year-old with a poor memory; on the other is a demagogic 77-year-old facing four criminal cases. "How can this be our reality?"
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
‘Extraordinary asymmetry’: the history of Israeli prisoner swaps
In The Spotlight Exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian detainees is the latest in a series of trades in which Israeli lives appear to count for more
-
October 14 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Tuesday's political cartoons include peace in Palestine, government playoffs, and barking up Pam Bondi's tree
-
Taking the low road: why the SNP is still standing strong
Talking Point Party is on track for a fifth consecutive victory in May’s Holyrood election, despite controversies and plummeting support
-
Has the Gaza deal saved Netanyahu?
Today's Big Question With elections looming, Israel’s longest serving PM will ‘try to carry out political alchemy, converting the deal into political gold’
-
Could Democrats lose the New Jersey governor’s race?
Today’s Big Question Democrat Mikie Sherrill stumbles against Republican Jack Ciattarelli
-
Trump’s deportations are changing how we think about food
IN THE SPOTLIGHT The Department of Labor’s admission that immigration raids have affected America’s food supplies reopens a longstanding debate
-
Judge blocks Trump’s Guard deployment in Chicago
Speed Read The president is temporarily blocked from federalizing the Illinois National Guard or deploying any Guard units in the state
-
Gaza peace deal: why did Trump succeed where Biden failed?
Today's Big Question As the first stage of a ceasefire begins, Trump’s unique ‘just-get-it-done’ attitude may have proven pivotal to negotiations
-
The party bringing Trump-style populism to Japan
Under The Radar Far-right party is ‘shattering’ the belief that Japan is ‘immune’ to populism’
-
Can Trump bully Netanyahu into Gaza peace?
Today's Big Question The Israeli leader was ‘strong-armed’ into new peace deal
-
Court allows Trump’s Texas troops to head to Chicago
Speed Read Trump is ‘using our service members as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,’ said Gov. J.B. Pritzker