What doesn’t get said enough—and here I agree with Team Biden’s whining about the press coverage—is that Trump and Biden are weak in some of the same ways. Trump is also really old! He also struggles to speak coherently and isn’t great on stairs! But “see, they’re both geriatric” was hardly an argument for why Biden should have remained in the race. In fact, it was the most compelling reason to put someone else, pretty much anyone else, atop the ticket. Against any other candidate, Trump’s diminishing abilities would be clear. His unpopularity would be overwhelming. He wouldn’t stand a chance.
Biden apparently came to realize this, and now Trump is the oldest presidential nominee in American history. What was the Democrats’ greatest liability—their nominee’s age—is now one of the many, many drags on the Republican ticket. Looking for a reason not to vote for Trump? You have several. At the end of his term, he will be older than Biden is now. He is a convicted felon. He is a fraudster. He has been found liable for sexual assault. He ran the most disorganized, incompetent presidential administration in American history. The risk of global conflict would skyrocket. He would reward autocrats and authoritarians of all stripes. He would use the presidency to enrich himself and his family. He is surrounded by right-wing ghouls. He is planning on deporting 10 million people. He is Donald Trump, for God’s sake. (How did we get here again?)
For a month, this case has been undermined by wholly legitimate concerns about Biden’s fitness for office. But there should be no concerns about Harris. She has been vice president for nearly four years and is more than capable of doing the job. As a campaigner, she can—and has, especially recently—make the case that Trump poses a unique threat to the country.
