DOMINIC LAWSON: The 78-year-old Donald Trump shows that age is not Joe Biden's problem: the issue is much worse than that

On Saturday, personification bidding to beryllium nan oldest man ever to beryllium elected President of nan USA astir met his maker. Fortunately nan would-be assassin's slug did nary much than clip nan receptor of 78-year-old Donald J Trump.

And nan intended unfortunate could beryllium heard giving a clear bid to nan battalion of Secret Service agents who were urging him: 'We've sewage to move, we've sewage to move'. 'Wait,' said Trump.

He was wished to prehend nan moment. Getting to his feet, he began punching nan aerial vigorously, creating an image — bloodied but unbowed, pinch nan Stars and Stripes successful nan inheritance — that might, connected its own, guarantee that, this November, he is elected President (again).

That intends Trump would become, during his 2nd spell successful nan White House, older than Biden now is (81). Yet nary 1 expresses interest that he will beryllium 'too old'. If anything, nan fearfulness of Trump's opponents is that he will beryllium excessively dominating and enactment pinch demonic energy.

This mobility of 'age' has overshadowed nan title for nan Presidency since Biden's capacity successful nan first statement betwixt nan 2 candidates. The existent caretaker of nan White House shocked viewers pinch his confusion, passages of complete gibberish and, astatine times, a glassy-eyed, slack-jawed quality suggestive of senility.

On nan different side, Donald Trump said countless things which were wholly untrue — but he was lying pinch undiminished vigour.

It was excessively overmuch for Biden's champion successful nan Hollywood elite, George Clooney. Last week, he wrote a devastating article successful nan New York Times headlined: 'I emotion Joe Biden. But we request a caller nominee.' 

Clooney described how, astatine a caller fundraising arena he attended, 'He was not moreover nan Joe Biden of 2020. He was nan aforesaid man we each witnessed astatine nan statement . . . Is it adjacent to constituent these things out? It has to be. This is astir age. Nothing more.'

Wrong. This is perfectly not conscionable astir age, moreover though it is nan connection everyone uses. It is astir infirmity. It is astir acute intelligence degeneration. There are, aliases person been, plentifulness astatine Biden's property still vigorous and intellectually focused, including successful nan governmental sphere.

To return a individual example: I person conscionable looked up footage of my precocious father, Nigel Lawson, speaking astatine an Oxford Union statement successful 2013, erstwhile he was nan aforesaid property Biden is now.

First of all, my begetter did not person a azygous grey hairsbreadth (I promise, this was wholly natural, dissimilar Trump's coiffure). And he delivered a flawless reside successful nan chamber, only occasionally looking down astatine his notes.

My begetter had ever been fortunate successful his wellness — I don't deliberation he had spent a time successful infirmary earlier his ninth decade. This is very different from Joe Biden.

In February 1988, nan past legislator for Delaware suffered a near-catastrophic cerebral aneurysm. He was fixed nan Last Rites and underwent 9 hours of surgery.

It succeeded, against nan odds; but 3 months later, Biden suffered a 2nd aneurism (on different broadside of his brain) requiring much awesome surgery.

As a result, nan President has metallic clips connected his cerebral arteries, which mean he can't acquisition an MRI scan, arsenic nan magnetic section could move nan clips, pinch perchance fatal consequences.

I wrote present astir this aesculapian history complete 2 years ago. I was making nan point, aft Vladimir Putin sent his tanks towards Kyiv, that nan fashionable commentary connected nan Russian president's alleged intelligence authorities aliases 'sickness' was absurd, erstwhile nan existent interest should beryllium astir Biden's capabilities.

And I quoted remarks, from a twelvemonth earlier that — so, successful 2021 — by Dr Greg Ganske, a erstwhile Congressman who had contrasted Biden's intelligence authorities pinch nan man he had sat adjacent to astatine a luncheon successful 1997: 'Witty and charming, pinch nary stuttering aliases incomplete thoughts. It pains maine greatly to spot a diminution successful President Biden and it worries me.'

Dr Ganske quoted a neurosurgeon friend who referred to Biden's 2 cerebral incidents and room from 1988: 'It takes a toll and tin show up later.' Of Trump, Dr Ganske observed: 'He is not senile and his encephalon is comparatively crisp whether you for illustration it aliases not.' That is still existent of Donald Trump astatine 78.

By nan way, this obsession pinch 'age' alternatively than expertise is down Labour's manifesto promise to make members of nan House of Lords discontinue during nan parliament successful which they scope 80.

Some of nan astir valuable members of nan precocious location are successful their 80s. The truth that Sir Keir Starmer has conscionable appointed nan (very sharp) 81-year-old erstwhile Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett a life adjacent shows really absurd this argumentation is.

As events successful nan U.S. are now demonstrating, what counts is acuity, not age.

Enjoy nan honeymoon Sir Keir, while it lasts:

To publication nan reports from nan Press accompanying Sir Keir Starmer connected his travel to nan Nato shindig successful Washington DC, you'd deliberation it was an undiluted triumph for nan caller PM.

And they were besides encouraged by President Zelensky's guidance aft his gathering pinch Starmer: nan Ukrainian leader posted connected Twitter/X that he had 'learned astir [Britain's] support to usage Storm Shadow missiles against subject targets successful Russian territory. 

We had nan opportunity to talk nan applicable implementation of this determination . . . I americium grateful to nan UK'.In his ain comments, Starmer said nan missiles were 'for Ukraine to determine really to deploy'. 

Under our erstwhile authorities Kyiv had been told they could beryllium utilized only connected Ukrainian territory (including Crimea). So, various pundits extolled Starmer's strengthening of our country's committedness to Ukraine's struggle.

But past . . . a abrupt reversal. It turned retired location had been nary alteration from nan argumentation nether Rishi Sunak: British defence officials briefed that Zelensky would person to 'seek assurances elsewhere' — presumably including Washington — earlier Ukraine could occurrence these missiles onto Russian territory, moreover for protect purposes.

It's not clear what went connected present — whether Starmer didn't understand what nan existent business was, aliases Zelensky had misunderstood nan British PM's words. But it was a debacle, successful position of clarity of message, connected a captious issue.

If thing for illustration this had happened successful nan dying days of nan Sunak administration, location would person been a savaging from nan media complete 'confusion astatine nan bosom of government'.Now: nothing. 

This is nan governmental honeymoon play for nan caller Prime Minister, truthful location is nary appetite for criticism. That's normal successful specified circumstances. Sir Keir should bask it while it lasts.