EDITORIAL: Biden loyalists created their own election crisis

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If those people loyal to President Joe Biden hoped to stop the hemorrhaging of support for his re-election campaign with his Thursday night news conference, they were sadly disappointed.

The more Biden struggles to reassure America — and the world — that he’s competent to govern, the more questions he raises about his health.

In this latest NATO event, he confused Vice-President Kamala Harris with his opponent, Donald Trump. Earlier, he introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as his arch enemy, Vladimir Putin.

These were excruciating mistakes to make with millions of people watching. What started as a rumble after Biden’s slack-jawed debate performance has turned into an avalanche, as powerful Democrats have called on him to quit.

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Clearly, Biden needs help. Who’s running things in the White House? Anyone near and dear telling him to hang in is doing him a cruel disfavour. They’ve kept his condition hidden. It was obvious he was having difficulties, yet those who raised red flags about his cognitive function were mocked and disregarded. Now it’s a crisis.

There are reports his wife, Jill, has been pinch-hitting for him. While it’s laudable that the family is pulling together, the American electorate did not elect her as president. Or perhaps they do have a royal family, after all.

The worse dementia gets, the less likely it is that the person who has it recognizes his diminished state. If Biden is struggling with cognitive issues now, what will he be like a year from now? Four years from now?

Yes, this is a problem for the U.S. to fix. But as long as America is the superpower Western democracies look to for leadership, it’s a problem for all of us. And is Harris really the best replacement?

The world is a dangerous place. Powerful leaders in Russia and China are threatening the global order. Russia has invaded a neighbouring democracy, murdering innocents in their beds. Like all bullies, those leaders prey on weakness. They smell blood in the water and they’re enjoying every minute Biden dithers on in the Oval Office.

Trump has been uncharacteristically quiet. He doesn’t need to say or do anything. As long as Democrats are prepared to destroy themselves from within, Trump will walk over their egos and back into the White House.