Seismic shift in US politics – Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

Editorial Newsday 9 Hrs Ago US President Joe Biden. – AP PHOTO JUNE 27 may go down as one of the most consequential dates in American history. That day, Joe Biden made a disastrous appearance in a televised debate with Donald Trump. Age was already a liability for Mr Biden, 81, from the moment he sought office. But it had been plausible to argue it brought, if not vigour, wisdom; it had been possible to fight against things like special counsel Ben Hur’s assessment of him as an “elderly man with a poor memory.” After the debate, however, in which 51 million Americans saw him unable to keep pace with Mr Trump’s lies, age became kryptonite. Mr Biden’s withdrawal on July 21 was inevitable. It is nonetheless a momentous, selfless decision, rightly praised by world leaders, including our own Prime Minister, and we today commend the US President’s example. This was not ageism. Mr Biden is not the same figure who once stood at a podium at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s, in 2013 and addressed local reporters with sparkling wit. He is not even the same figure of the State of the Union in Washington, DC, months ago. He...