Joe Biden and Mitch McConnell struck up a friendship during their nearly quarter-century in the Senate together. Now in their 80s, the Democratic president and the Senate GOP leader appear to be giving political cover to each other as they fend off questions about their advanced age and health issues.

Notably, McConnell, R-Ky., 81, hasn’t joined Donald Trump, 77, and other Republicans who have attacked Biden’s age, health and mental acuity as he seeks re-election.

And after McConnell’s second freeze-up last week, Biden was one of the first to call McConnell, telling reporters that his “friend” sounded like “his old self” and that such episodes are a “part of his recovery” from a fall and a concussion this year.

  • Alien Nathan Edward@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    125
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    edit-2
    10 months ago

    complicate attacks on Biden’s age

    No they really don’t. They’ll talk about Biden’s “obvious mental decline” and they’ll just not talk at all about Mitch’s very public 30 second Journeys Beyond the Stars. They’ll absolutely say Biden is too old but that Trump, who is only 3 years younger, isn’t. The right is absolutely capable of that level of doublethink. Stop assuming anything matters to them other than getting power they can use to hurt people. They don’t care about policy. They don’t care about seeming like hypocrites. They’ve been whipped into a paranoid frenzy and they’ll do anything they need to do in order to hurt the people they’re afraid of. Start looking at their behavior through that lens and see if it doesn’t start to make a lot of sense to you.

    • demlet@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      18
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      10 months ago

      I think Trump is younger. He’s a monster, but still younger than Biden.

      • 432hz@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        37
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        10 months ago

        Yup, Biden is 3 years older than trump.

        I don’t see any mental decline… Biden has always been a gaffe machine and he has a stutter he struggles to suppress. He’s the same as ever.

            • insomniac@sh.itjust.works
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              6
              ·
              10 months ago

              Trump doesn’t exercise which means his battery remains fuller than Biden, who frivolously depletes his battery through exercise. Humans have a finite amount of energy and you have to conserve it (this is an actual thing he believes.)

      • EnderMB@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        edit-2
        10 months ago

        He’s also wildly unhealthy, and if his lifestyle is to be believed, he probably should’ve died years ago. The only thing keeping him going is fake tan, hair dye, and hate.

        Biden is too old, but he at least looks somewhat healthy.