© Reuters. U.S. President Joe Biden departs the White Home in Washington, U.S., February 9, 2024. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Picture
By Tim Reid
(Reuters) – The psychological means and age of the USA’ presidential candidates took middle stage on the marketing campaign path on Saturday, following a report that instructed President Joe Biden was struggling reminiscence lapses.
Former President Donald Trump accused each Biden, the Democrat he’ll seemingly face in November’s common election, and Nikki Haley, Trump’s final remaining rival for the Republican presidential nomination, of missing the psychological capability to be president.
Haley – like Trump, campaigning in South Carolina the place the 2 will meet in a main election on Feb. 24 – went after each males, calling Trump mentally poor and saying Biden is simply too outdated to be president.
In the meantime, the Biden White Home, responding to the report on Thursday from a Division of Justice particular counsel that mentioned Biden had a poor reminiscence, continued its full-scale assault on Trump’s age and psychological acuity after Trump just lately combined up names and made different verbal gaffes.
“Each single time Donald Trump opens his mouth, he is confused, deranged, mendacity, or worse,” T.J. Ducklo, a Biden spokesman, mentioned in an announcement launched by Biden’s reelection marketing campaign.
The problem of psychological competency has turn into a serious subject on this yr’s presidential marketing campaign. Biden, 81, and Trump, 77, are the 2 oldest males respectively to have been elected president. In current days, Biden has combined up the names of some world leaders.
The problem is a vexing one for Biden’s reelection marketing campaign. In a Reuters/Ipsos ballot carried out in September, 77% of respondents mentioned they agreed with an announcement that Biden was too outdated to work in authorities, whereas 56% mentioned the identical of Trump.
Haley, 52, has known as for psychological competency exams for presidential candidates over 75 years outdated.
The problem was thrust entrance and middle once more after Particular Counsel Robert Hur, a former U.S. legal professional in Maryland throughout Trump’s administration, mentioned in his report that he selected to not deliver felony expenses in opposition to Biden following a 15-month investigation into his dealing with of categorized paperwork as a result of the president cooperated.
Hur mentioned the Democratic incumbent could be troublesome to convict and described him as a “well-meaning, aged man with a poor reminiscence” who was not in a position to recall to investigators when his son, Beau Biden, died.
Biden angrily denied Hur’s allegations about his reminiscence, saying in a White Home look on Thursday night time, “my reminiscence’s positive.”
Trump, at a rally in Conway, South Carolina, mentioned Hur’s report confirmed Biden “just isn’t match to function our commander in chief.”
Trump – who faces 4 state and federal felony trials, together with one for mishandling categorized paperwork – is near clinching the Republican nomination, and the prospect of a probable common election rematch with Biden in November.
Haley, who has no clear path to the nomination after Trump’s consecutive wins in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, is refusing to stop the race, making a possible final stand in her residence state of South Carolina, the place she trails badly in opinion polls behind Trump.
Trump on Saturday known as his former U.N. ambassador “birdbrain” and “brain-dead,” suggesting she didn’t have the psychological capability to enter the White Home.
Haley, starting a two-week bus tour of South Carolina, known as Biden “diminished.” She additionally cited a current Trump speech the place he confused her with former Democratic Home of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
“It is larger than simply Joe Biden. Whether or not it is Donald Trump getting me confused with Nancy Pelosi … it is time for a brand new generational chief,” Haley instructed reporters.