In his letter “Poor choices for democracy” (Our Readers’ Views, April 20), Donald Knoop echoes the media narrative that Joe Biden is an “old man in dotage” and also calls Donald Trump a “buffoon.” I respectfully disagree.
Perhaps Mr. Knoop missed our president’s 2023 State of the Union speech in which he jiujitsu’d Republicans into disavowing their plan to cut Social Security. As Politifact noted, “Biden seemed to cow Republican lawmakers into pledging not to cut benefits.”
Did he miss that Mitch Landrieu, former lieutenant governor of Louisiana, said that Biden is still “tough,” “smart” and “on his game”? Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Biden is “sharp, intensely probing, detail-oriented and focused.” And Republican Kevin McCarthy said “he found the president sharp and substantive,” per Politico. Not bad for someone supposedly feeble-minded.
Meanwhile, Trump routinely stiffed contractors and his lawyers; separated children from their parents; has been accused of, admitted to and held liable for sexual assault; refused to accept an election loss; sent a mob to terrorize our leaders on Jan. 6, 2021; and said maybe Vice President Mike Pence “deserved” to be murdered.
“Buffoon” severely mischaracterizes the man; a better description would be “pure evil.”
