Does Joe Biden, 80, have what it takes to serve another four years? After a first term marked by mistakes and stumbles, doctors are worried about the President’s health
President Joe Biden, 80, has sparked questions about his eligibility to run for reelection after formally beginning his campaign.
They worry that Biden, who will be 86 by the conclusion of his second term as president, is already displaying signs of “cognitive deterioration” and that the strain of another term could exacerbate his health and raise the possibility of an accident occurring on-screen.
The President’s first term has been notable for a number of high-profile gaffes, accidents, and outward displays of confusion, including falling from his bike in Delaware and tripping up the steps of Air Force One.
Biden’s routine physical examination revealed seven problems, including a cardiac condition that causes the muscle to beat too fast, leading to disorientation and dizziness. Additionally, he’s had two brain aneurysms.
According to Dr. Elena Mucci, a geriatrician and member of the American College of Physicians, “If I were his geriatrician, I would discourage him from campaigning.” I would vehemently disagree with it.
“I don’t think you’d find a single doctor 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,” said one healthcare practitioner. “If you were to survey healthcare professionals, geriatricians, and cardiologists,” Dr. Mucci continued.
Since 2003, Biden has experienced atrial fibrillation, also known as an irregular heartbeat. He uses Eliquis, a blood thinner, to treat his heart issue.
If you open any medical book, you’ll see that fatigue is one of the signs of atrial fibrillation, according to Dr. Mucci.
That will restrict his activities, and not just his activities; he might not be physically able to carry out all of his responsibilities. With these circumstances and that age, it is simply impossible.
Internal medicine specialist Dr. Stuart Fischer told DailyMail.com that in addition to fibrillation, the medication’s side effects also raise risk.
These individuals use blood thinners, which increase their risk of internal bleeding or severe fall-related effects.
After a three-day trip to Europe, Biden tripped up the stairs of Air Force One two months ago as he made his way back to the United States.
In March 2021, two months into his term as president, he fell up the same steps. at June, while spending a weekend at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, he also lost control of his bike.
According to Dr. Fischer, falls become more common and serious as people age.
According to him, there is a higher likelihood of a medical emergency for someone who falls and strikes their head or hips while taking a blood thinner than for someone who is not on an anticoagulant.
When someone is taking an anticoagulant, a head injury might be disastrous, he said.
The most recent health assessment of Biden also mentioned his elevated cholesterol, which Dr. Fischer said is a risk factor for a heart attack, a stroke, or renal illness.
The blood supply to the heart, kidneys, and brain gradually deteriorates throughout the course of our lives, according to Dr. Fischer.
As we age, our chances of having impaired circulation increase.
According to a poll conducted this week by The Associated Press, only 26% of Americans and 47% of Democrats support Biden’s bid for reelection.
According to interviews with survey respondents, his age was the biggest source of worry.
According to a different CNBC All-America Economic Survey, primarily due to his age, 70 percent of respondents stated they opposed Biden’s candidature.
There is a higher amount of accountability in a situation like President Biden, according to Dr. Fischer, who spoke to DailyMail.com.
‘You couldn’t be at the top of your game in any field; he would be the oldest president in history. Mother Nature will not be duped. Despite our efforts, nobody can succeed.
Biden has taken care to avoid addressing or acknowledging worries about his cognitive deterioration in public.
He refuted allegations that he is too old and psychologically unfit to serve as president last year. During an interview, he said, “Watch me.” to CBS correspondent Scott Pelley.
But according to Dr. Mucci, it’s usual for people to minimise their cognitive challenges.
Subjectively, you will be undervaluing your symptoms and not giving enough attention to them, she added, whether you lose your job, your driving privilege, or the president.
The reason [Biden] hasn’t publicly accepted what he knows to be true is that he doesn’t want to risk losing the presidency, in my opinion.
Dr. Dung Trinh, an internal medicine physician in California, claims that Biden’s health conditions and advanced age increase his risk of dementia.
According to him, we lose about 1% of our brain volume every year as we get older.
When compared to someone who is 65, the risk of having Alzheimer’s doubles in five years for someone who is 70.
‘If you’re in your mid-80s, 85 or beyond, maybe 30 to 40% of people show some modest cognitive impairment symptoms,’ says the researcher.
In Biden’s native state of Delaware, Dr. Todd Grande, a mental health specialist, declared that it was obvious that Biden’s “performance in the areas of reasoning and memory is impaired.”
‘It’s difficult to conceive how he is fit to be president under these conditions,’ Dr. Grande continued.
Despite escalating worries about Biden’s mental sharpness, the President’s doctor granted him an almost perfect physical in February.
In a five-page assessment, he said that the President was still a “80-year-old male who is healthy, vigorous, and fit to execute the duties of the Presidency.”
But the embarrassing errors keep happening. This month, while giving a speech in Ireland, Biden—who brags about his Irish heritage—inadvertently made reference to British forces that tortured Irish people rather than a New Zealand rugby club.
Biden has largely forgotten about his mistakes. refers to himself as a “gaffe machine” in 2018.
However, according to Dr. Mucci, they are a warning indication of decline.
Is this merely healthy ageing, or are we dealing with something else? Or is this minor cognitive impairment—pre-dementia—in effect? And time will tell,” she added.
“If he has age-related changes, there will be a steady decline,” the doctor said. It must happen. But if he has mild cognitive impairment, the memory loss will happen much more quickly.
We are aware that 10 to 15% of those with mild cognitive impairment go on to develop dementia.
Being a good president at such an advanced age is a difficult task, she claimed, even if the occasional lapses in judgement are not an indication of a deeper problem.
My professional and personal judgement is that he probably won’t make a good leader.
The reason being that it is inevitable that [he] will be in a position where crucial judgements must be made in an instant, under pressure, and over a brief period of time.
“Someone who is in that situation where they are 80+ and going through all these age-related changes to the brain may not have that brain processing speed to analyse, process, and digest the information quickly enough to make the crucial decisions.” This is merely common sense, and that wasn’t ageist.
He might not have dementia or mild cognitive impairment, she continued. It could be normal ageing, but someone of their status would need to be mentally sharp. I don’t think it’s appropriate for someone in his position to be forgetful.
President Joe Biden has garnered media attention recently for statements and actions that are unrelated to policy.
The 79-year-old has a penchant for blunders.
Biden has a history of making errors, mixing things up, or even veering off topic during speeches or when responding to inquiries.
Even the commander-in-chief has occasionally been seen stumbling, which has led to questions about his physical condition.
Many of Biden’s famous slip-ups, foot-in-mouth incidents, and misspeaks have been compiled by DailyMail.com.
PERIODICALLY BLENDING LIBYA AND SYRIA
On June 13, when addressing methods to work with Russia, Biden repeatedly conflated Syria with Libya during a G7 press conference.
During the G7 summit in Cornwall, England, the 78-year-old gaffe machine mentioned working with Russian President Vladimir Putin to deliver economic aid to the people of Libya, drawing some perplexed looks from the press pack.
The president mentioned Libya for the third time rather than the Middle Eastern nation of Syria, saying, “I’m hoping that we will find a solution that will allow us to save people’s lives in — for example, in — Libya.”
The president was speaking about Syria, where Russia and the US have been engaged in a civil war for ten years, according to the White House, which clarified the situation.
Biden’s mistakes did not all happen in the 2020s or even in the 2010s. In actuality, a number occurred in the early 2000s.
In September 2008, Biden attended a rally in Missouri for the former president Obama’s campaign after being chosen as his running mate.
He then dialled the now-deceased Missouri state lawmaker Chuck Graham. Graham passed away last year. to speak out for the common people.
State senator Chuck Graham is reportedly present, I’ve been told. Chuck, get up and let ’em see you,’ Biden said.
He saw that Graham had muscular dystrophy and was using a wheelchair.
Oh God, how I love you. What am I talking about exactly? I’ll tell you what, buddy, you’re inspiring others to stand up.
Graham claimed to have never been angered by the error to the Columbia Tribune.
Facebook Comments