CNN ran a fantastic report (video below) on Thursday morning that highlighted the differences between Trump and Biden when it comes to coverage of any mental decline within the two, imagined or otherwise. The report by John Avalon focused upon the fact that, though there are allegations against both Biden (Senile!) and Trump (Declining!), there is a difference.
The accusations against Trump have come from people who worked within the Trump administration, whereas the accusations against Biden have come almost exclusively from Right-Wing media.
The difference is stark. Video below, transcript here:
There is something known as the Goldwater Rule that bars diagnosis of a candidate or president’s mental health by professionals or otherwise,” said Avlon. “Armchair diagnosis can be dangerous and misleading, because it often reflects the partisan bias of the self-appointed analysts. But that doesn’t mean we should ignore the evidence provided by the people closest to the president. Like his former chief of staff who called Trump ‘unhinged.’ A ‘moron’ according to his secretary of state. His chief strategist reportedly compared him to an ’11-year-old child who lost a step.‘ A ‘madman’ according to a former communications director. An ‘idiot surrounded by clowns’ according to his chief economic adviser. This is a very few examples.”
But now on to the media portrayal of Biden:
“Fox News described Biden as ‘senile’ 47 times over the past two years, invoked ‘cognitive decline’ 48 times, raised the specter of ‘dementia’ 22 times, and used the euphemism ‘confused’ 157 times,” said Avlon. “So much for the Goldwater Rule. This isn’t subtle, and these are just some of the phrases that could be picked to make the same point.
What is striking is how Trump’s hardcore supporters believe they know their man better than the people who actually know him. They seem willing to follow him past facts to the point of idolatry,” said Avlon. But, he added, “all the whataboutism in the world cannot deflect from the fact Donald Trump tried to overturn an election, tried to destroy our democracy just to soothe his own fragile wounded ego. And the reason isn’t just awful history, it’s that he seems to be his party’s frontrunner in the next election, and that’s why this can’t be ignored. And that’s your reality check.”
That is reality indeed. Joe Biden is comfortable in reality and recognizes it readily. Trump on the other hand twists his own reality to suit his needs, whether it bears any relationship with real reality or not.