Recently, a flurry of news has come out about former President Biden’s health. The recently published Original Sin by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson chronicles the inside story of Biden’s declining mental state. In addition, President Biden himself announced he has an advanced form of prostate cancer, raising questions about who knew what and when. This whole episode highlights the need to spell out what needs to be done to prevent this scandal from happening again and hold accountable those who took part in it this time.
During the June 27th, 2024, debate, President Biden’s mental decline became undeniable even among his most ardent supporters in the media. However, this was not the first evidence of Biden’s decline. It was simply the most glaring of a long line of instances revealing that Biden lacked the mental capacity to be President. Beyond that, the media’s cover-up of Biden’s decline deprived the American people of valuable information they needed to cast their votes until it was almost too late.
Similarly, while we should sympathize with our 46th President, Biden’s cancer announcement also raises questions about what information is being kept from the American people. Not only is his cancer advanced, but it has penetrated his bones, meaning the survival rate is lowered to 38% after five years. Again, this is information the American people deserve to know about their President.
Not only do Americans deserve to know this information for electoral reasons, but it is also important for our safety and prosperity that the President is not mentally incapacitated. So, what do we do about this, and how do we prevent similar situations from happening in the future?
The first is to utilize the mechanisms already put in place to hold the Executive branch accountable. First of all, the House Oversight Committee needs to investigate the extent to which President Biden’s aides hid his decline from the American people and other members of his own administration. The claim that aides kept the president from his cabinet members is outrageous and must be answered. In addition, the Trump administration should investigate official White House documents to reveal the extent of the cover-up.
Accountability must also come in the form of character. Public officials need to remember that they have an obligation to serve the interests of the American people in their roles. Section 4 of the 25th Amendment says it is the responsibility of the Vice President and the Cabinet to remove the President from office if he are unable to discharge the duties of his office. Kamala Harris and the rest of the cabinet failed in their duty to do so.
This isn’t a problem affecting Biden alone. Republicans need to be reminded of this as well. President Trump isn’t getting any younger. In fact, after Biden, Trump is the second oldest person to be President and will be the oldest President at the end of his term. Even if he weren’t such a frequent consumer of McDonald’s, one has to assume Trump has far more years behind him than he has in front of him. Therefore, Vice President Vance and the Cabinet need to be prepared for the possibility that Trump has a Biden-like mental decline. Vance and the rest of the administration cannot allow a second straight President to remain in office while senile.
Finally, the families of politicians must admit when their family member is no longer up to the job. Government is hard work, and the American people need our elected leaders at their best. However, there comes a time when even the best are not up to the task and must retire. When that happens, wives, children, and grandchildren must step in and say it is time to retire. It must be done for the good of both the American people and politicians themselves.
There is a lot to unpack with the scandal to keep President Biden’s decline from the American people. Many are justifiably angry about the cover-up, but that anger is pointless if we do not learn from the incident. If our republic is to continue thriving, our leaders must be virtuous, as well as capable, even when doing so is politically difficult.
Matt Cookson is an alumnus of the Young Voices Contributor Program and was a Middle East History and Policy Fellow with Young Voices. He also works in the supply chain for a U.S. Defense Contractor. His commentary has appeared in the Mises Institute, Real Clear Politics, the American Thinker, Providence Magazine, China Source, and the Idaho Freedom Foundation. You can follow him on X @MattCookson95.
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