Opinion: Age discourse may need revival

Donald Trump’s public appearances follow a typical direction. He has a speech in mind he intends to deliver with the help of a teleprompter, but instead he resorts to rambling and discussing odd, bizarre thoughts about all sorts of topics.

To put it bluntly, the former president has increasingly spouted rhetoric that is nonsensical and incoherent.

MSNBC columnist Zeeshan Aleem convincingly stated that, “Trump has been embedded in the public consciousness as a rule-breaker for so long that it can be easy to forget how far he is from fulfilling the basic requirement of a politician to speak clearly.

“Trump’s speeches seem to be growing more discursive and difficult to comprehend by the day.”

New York Times op-ed writer Jamelle Bouie similarly stated Trump is unable “not just to speak truthfully about a topic, but speak coherently about any topic. ... Trump hasn’t just deteriorated, he’s clearly cognitively impaired, and it is bizarre to me that this isn’t just a major story.”

And as MSNBC anchor Chris Hayes commented, “It is a little weird that ‘age concerns’ have disappeared as a constant focus of campaign reporting and discussion even though the GOP nominee would be the oldest man ever sworn in to the office and is very obviously sharply declining before our eyes.”

For much of the campaign season, there was considerable spirited public conversation, fueled by rabid media interest, about whether President Joe Biden was too old and harried to perform his presidential duties. Over the past few months, discourse surrounding such concerns has all but gone silent.

One could argue that now is a ripe moment to revive such conversations about the ongoing antics of President Biden’s possible successor and his returning to the White House for a second time as president.

Most of us can remember when President Biden, after responding incoherently with his replies during a debate in June with Trump, eventually ended his bid for a second term a few weeks later. Many Democratic politicians and pundits passionately raised concerns about Biden’s cognitive fitness, and the mainstream media fiercely and endlessly covered the controversy with a severe degree of ruthlessness for weeks. Numerous editorial boards urged Biden to step aside.

Meanwhile, Trump’s documented rambling, repetitive, and winding addresses have been punctuated by strange comments about his “beautiful” body, male genitalia, staged ploys at fast food restaurants and apparent obsession with the past going back before the 1980s.

Trump danced to his personally curated Spotify playlist while interacting with attendees during the final 30 minutes of his town hall in Oaks, Pa.

Understandably, such comparisons have both dated him and raised more than a few psychologists and psychiatrists’ eyebrows.

Elwood Watson is a professor of history, Black studies, and gender and sexuality studies at East Tennessee State University. Contact him at:

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