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We need to talk about Joe Biden. The President of the United States is not up to the task, and his constant gaffes are much more than a mere string of coincidences. They are the sign of a person entirely overcome by the weight of age and the pressures of an office for which he is unprepared.
The examples multiply to the point of becoming more sad than funny, including at least two instances (in April and July 2022) in which Joe Biden finished two speeches and then proceeded to “shake hands” in the air, visibly confused. Worse, on July 8, while reading from the teleprompter a message on abortion, Biden said “repeat the line” instead of repeating the previous line of the speech, as the text intended.
Now, there is nothing wrong with reading from a teleprompter. Most politicians use it, but they usually know how to use it and distinguish between the text to be recited and the accompanying prompts. For someone with Biden’s experience to make a rookie mistake such as confusing the indication “repeat the line” with the text of his message is simply ridiculous.
It’s not just the verbal gaffes but also his increasingly apparent need to be led on even the most essential aspects of his job—as was almost tragically revealed on June 23—when Biden himself inadvertently showed the card prepared for him by his advisors, which made it clear, in capital letters, that he was to sit in HIS chair.
Just imagine, dear reader, what must have happened for his advisors to feel the need to not only note that he should sit in his chair and not someone else’s but also to put it in capital letters.
And it gets worse. Adding to Biden’s personal and political fragility is the case of his son Hunter, whose addictions and obsession with recording himself in uncomfortable situations have become a constant scandal, despite efforts to cover up the case. At first, Twitter and Facebook went so far as to prevent the revelations about Hunter from being mentioned on social media. However, as the evidence accumulates, even the least informed are finding out, and each new revelation is another blow to his legitimacy.
The result of this combination of factors is that, despite the supposedly historic majority that brought him to the presidency of the United States just a couple of years ago, Joe Biden has already become the weakest U.S. president in the last 50 years, on par with the infamous Jimmy Carter administration.
Where is Joe Biden?
How bad is the situation? Well, even in the White House, his team ignores him. That became painfully clear during Barack Obama’s April 5 visit. At the end of the event, aides surrounded Obama, while his Administration almost completely ignored Joe. Flat out, it seemed like we were back between 2009 and 2017 when Barack was president and Biden was a nuisance.
The situation is not getting any better outside the White House either. The American people are rejecting Biden at historic levels, and the trend becomes particularly problematic for his party in the case of the Latino vote. Hispanics, who during the Obama administration seemed to align themselves to the Democratic side increasingly, are turning to the Republican Party at record levels. Indeed, the Democrats’ absurd woke plan has a lot to do with Latino alienation, but, if anything, the failure of the Biden Administration is a relevant factor.
Again, how bad is the situation? Well, a recent poll by The New York Times and the Sienna College Research Institute indicates that only 29% of Democrats want Biden to run for re-election in 2024. The percentage is even lower among the general population, as only 26% want him as a candidate. In other words: 3 out of 4 Americans do not wish Biden to be re-elected. What’s more, they don’t even want him on the ballot.
Yes, it is that bad. And it is going to get worse. For now, the Democratic Party is already bracing for a historic defeat in the 2022 midterm elections, which could leave both the House and the Senate firmly in Republican hands. That outcome would turn Joe Biden into a lame-duck, unable to push his agenda, unable to salvage the legacy of his administration, and incompetent (on many occasions) to know where he stands; as the gaffes pile up, respect fades, Biden becomes, more and more, the non-existent president.
Gerardo Garibay Camarena, is a doctor of law, writer and political analyst with experience in the public and private sectors. His new book is "How to Play Chess Without Craps: A Guide to Reading Politics and Understanding Politicians" // Gerardo Garibay Camarena es doctor en derecho, escritor y analista político con experiencia en el sector público y privado. Su nuevo libro es “Cómo jugar al ajedrez Sin dados: Una guía para leer la política y entender a los políticos”