Column: We have anxiety whenever Biden opens his mouth. But Trump is worse

Joe Biden speaking at a lectern with U.S. flags behind him

By Lorraine AliNews and Culture Critic

July 12, 2024 9:37 AM PT

The nation and the world were hanging on President Biden’s every word, every pause, every throat-clearing and verbal gaffe during the first solo news conference since his devastating debate performance two weeks ago. Frankly, it was exhausting.

The live presser coming off a NATO conference in Washington was more than a do-or-die moment for Biden; it was a source of anxiety for millions of Americans who watched with apprehension (or didn’t watch at all) for fear that the 81-year-old would irrevocably fumble one of the most high-stakes moments in his career — and the future of the country.

But then something funny happened. Biden the seasoned statesman showed up and answered reporters’ questions for nearly an hour. He was alert, articulate and delivered more zingers than goofs. You could almost hear the collective exhale when he finally walked off stage … and then the collective girding for the next tightrope conference, terrifying speaking event or hateful debate.

Holding our breath every time Biden opens his mouth is not ideal heading into one of the most consequential elections in the nation’s history. Each mispronounced word or self-correction feels like a death-defying drop on a bumpy flight. If my nervous system is anything like that of other folks who fear a win by democracy-wrecking Trump, then it’s unlikely we’ll all make it through to November without shingles, an ulcer or sedating meds.

Thursday was a roller-coaster ride, and that was before the news conference began. In announcing a NATO compact to support Ukraine, Biden referred to the Eastern European nation’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky as “Putin.” He quickly returned to the microphone and said, “He’s going to beat President Putin ... President Zelensky. I’m so focused on beating Putin.”

The name swap would have gone unnoticed had it been muttered by any other leader, but because it was Biden, the mistake was brought up at the ensuing face-off with reporters.

The news conference was ostensibly to discuss the NATO summit, but Russia and Gaza took a backseat to Biden’s future and the election. Reporters repeatedly asked Biden about his mental acuity, his low polling numbers, the stakes if he stays in the race, the stakes if he drops out, the readiness of his VP, Kamala Harris, should she be the candidate and his legacy should he lose to Trump.

“I’m not in this for my legacy. I’m in this to complete the job that I started,” said a confident Biden.

But let’s cut to the chase: Did he make sense? Did he appear “with it?” Was he tracking?”

Yes, yes and yes.

His big mess-up was saying “Vice President Trump” instead of Harris. He corrected himself in the few other instances where he mixed up or repeated country names. Otherwise, there was nothing to indicate his cognitive abilities were slipping or he was unfit to lead.

On the contrary, he demonstrated again why he is the superior choice next to the Republican candidate when Biden answered reporters’ questions with impressive range and detail about foreign policy, inflation, his dealings with world leaders and other subjects Trump regularly deflects.

Biden also explained his concerns about the future of the world should Trump win the election. “Do you think democracy is under siege based on Project 2025?” Biden rhetorically asked a journalist who posed the question. “Do you think he means what he says when he says he is going to do away with the civil service and eliminate the Department of Education?”

“I mean, we’ve never been here before,” Biden said, adding that his rival “seems to have an affinity to people who are authoritarian.”

And it just so happened that Trump was hosting his own sort of international summit Thursday at his Mar-a-Lago estate ... with right-wing neo-fascist Viktor Orbán. His meeting with the Hungarian prime minster certainly would have generated more coverage if the media hadn’t been busy dissecting Biden’s every utterance.

If only the same attention were paid to Trump’s word salad dumps or meaningful comparisons were made by the media between the two men and their relationship with the truth. During the conference, if Biden didn’t have the exact figures for, say, the number of Biden/Harris campaign offices, he didn’t just make something up (“A billion of the most beautiful offices you’ve ever seen!”) He said what he believed to be true then qualified it with, “Don’t hold me to it in case I’m off.”

When asked if he’d take a cognitive test every day to prove he’s mentally fit, he said, “I’m tested every day with the neurological decisions I have to make. … But if a neurologist tells me I think I need another exam, if they think it’s a problem, I promise you, I’ll do it.”

We know what will happen if Biden continues as the front-runner and wins. He runs the country, and if or when he can’t, it’s up to his vice president. What we don’t know is what things look like if Biden loses. Trump is a uniquely dangerous candidate for a multitude of reasons — among them his penchant for vengeance and using the Supreme Court as a personal firewall from prosecution.

It’s important that we discuss Biden’s health, but in that avalanche of assessment and panic, Trump is getting a pass. Parse any of the former president’s recent speeches or rants and you’ll find they’re disjointed and often nonsensical. He’s also a convicted felon who promises to turn democracy into a monarchy.

Yet we can’t stop examining Biden’s every utterance for clues to his incompetence.

“No matter what I do, no one is going to be satisfied,” Biden said. And he’s right.