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Hi, y’all. Welcome back to The Opposition. By the last year of Joe Biden’s administration, the president’s age and mental acuity was such a dominant topic of conversation that it was hard to turn on cable news or scroll on social media without being fed a clip of a Republican lawmaker arguing that Biden was senile and unable to serve a second term. We all know how that storyline ended.
One might have expected from voters, the press, and—especially—the opposition party a similar fixation on Donald Trump’s age once he was re-elected, taking the title from Biden as the oldest person to ever assume the presidency. But that hasn’t happened with the same feverish scrutiny as it did with Biden. In fact, some Democrats even appear reluctant to focus on it. In today’s edition, I try to answer why that is.
Today’s full newsletter is only for Bulwark+ members, who frequently tell us that a side benefit of membership is that it helps keep them feeling young and hip and spry no matter their age. (Disclaimer: We have not studied this scientifically.) To read the whole newsletter—and to access our other locked content, and to join in our comments sections, and to support our work, and to maaaaaybe stay young at heart—sign up today to become a Bulwark+ member yourself.
–Lauren
Just Say It: Trump is Unwell
The president is aging. He’s wearing hand makeup. Why aren’t Democrats making a bigger deal of his health?
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PRESIDENT TRUMP IS RARELY SEEN IN PUBLIC these days without a thick layer of nude-colored makeup slathered on the back of his right hand.
His aides have (unconvincingly) attributed the makeup, which conceals discoloration that resembles bruising, to the sheer number of hands the president shakes and to the aspirin he takes. But recently, Trump was photographed with both hands puffy and lathered—even though he obviously hasn’t become an ambidextrous greeter of White House visitors.
That’s not all. Trump’s been to see a dentist three times so far this year without explanation. Last fall, he told reporters he received an MRI but didn’t say—or, at times, seem to know—what for. He’s repeatedly bragged about acing cognitive tests, raising questions about why he’s taking so many in the first place. His ankles have been visibly swollen. He keeps a fairly light public schedule, especially compared to his first term. There have been multiple occasions where he has appeared to fall asleep during televised White House events—episodes aides insist are just prolonged blinks. Yet despite all that, Trump refuses to be transparent about his health.
The aging of the president is arguably among voters’ chief concerns, and it’s a subject the news media is discussing with increasing openness. And the many questions about Trump’s age and health would seem like quick and easy fodder for Democrats. After all, the president, like all of us, is dying. He’s the oldest person ever elected to the office¹, and turns 80 next month; it’s totally reasonable to scrutinize his mental and physical state. Yet as Democrats make their case ahead of the midterms, Trump’s health rarely comes up—at least in public.
The age and health of the president are almost never mentioned in Democratic press conferences or in hits on cable news. Neither the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee nor the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee have posted about Trump’s age on their X accounts. When House Leader Hakeem Jeffries briefly suggested that the Oversight Committee investigate the president’s health, the emphasis was quickly dropped. Instead, the party has focused its political efforts on Trump’s corruption and inability to lower costs.
Operatives and lawmakers say there are several reasons for this reticence, but mainly they admit ...
