The campaign team of President Joe Biden issued a strong condemnation on Thursday against a new advertisement from a political action committee aligned with Donald Trump. The ad suggests that the president might not survive if re-elected.
The 18-second ad, circulated by MAGA Inc., is being aired nationwide ahead of Biden’s State of the Union address to Congress on Thursday night. It portrays footage of the president stammering during speeches and stumbling while walking onto a stage and up the stairs to Air Force One.
“We can all see Joe Biden’s weakness,” a narrator intones as ominous music plays in the background.
The narrator then poses the question, “If Biden wins, can he even survive till 2029?” This query is accompanied by a split-screen, juxtaposing footage of Vice President Kamala Harris laughing and smiling at an event with Biden’s struggles to ascend the stairs.
It’s highlighted that under the constitutional order, Harris would assume the presidency if Biden were to pass away.
At 81, Biden is the oldest individual ever elected president. If re-elected this autumn, his term would conclude in January 2029, making him 86 years old.
Responding to the MAGA Inc. ad, a spokesperson from the Biden campaign conveyed to NBC News, “This is a sick and deranged stunt from a broke and struggling campaign that can’t defend Trump’s extreme Project 2025 agenda to ban abortion, separate families, raise costs on the middle class, repeal health care, and sow chaos and division.”
The spokesperson added, “He should tune in tonight alongside tens of millions of Americans to see why President Biden will beat him again this November.”
Taylor Budowich, the head of MAGA PAC, countered, tweeting, “Joe Biden is going to try to convince America not believe their lyin’ eyes. The reality is America is suffering, Joe Biden is weak, and we can’t survive four more years.”
Donald Trump, the Republican former president expected to challenge Biden in the election, has consistently insinuated that Biden lacks the mental fortitude to stay in office. This is despite Trump’s verbal gaffes that have raised concerns about his cognitive abilities.
A recent report from a Department of Justice special counsel found that Biden had “willfully” retained classified materials after leaving his vice presidency under Barack Obama. However, the special counsel opted against prosecuting Biden, citing his sympathetic and elderly demeanor.
Biden and his legal team have disputed this characterization and pointed out details in the report that undermine the claim of willful misconduct.
Following a routine physical examination, White House Dr. Kevin O’Connor stated last month that Biden is “fit for duty.” Additionally, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre noted that both the president’s doctor and a neurologist concluded he did not require a cognitive test.
