As Donald Trump turns 80, he faces a foe he can never defeat: Father Time. That’s a problem for us all | Donald Trump

The main trial at Nuremberg ended, Winston Churchill warned of an iron curtain descending on Europe, It’s a Wonderful Life premiered, and Donald John Trump was born in Jamaica hospital in New York’s Queens borough.

The year was 1946, also the birth year of George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, but on Sunday the current US president celebrates his 80th birthday in his own unique style. Trump will host a cage-fighting night on the once-pristine White House south lawn as part of events marking the 250th anniversary of US independence.

The blending of visceral blood sports with political spectacle under metal scaffolding could offer brief respite for a president consumed by an unpopular war, rising inflation, falling poll numbers and an enemy that even he can’t bully, bomb or outrun: Father Time.

“Donald Trump has been showing signs of his age for a long time,” he said Tara SetmayerA former Republican communications director on Capitol Hill. “He is on almost daily display as he struggles to stay awake during formal meetings, becomes more irritable, and throws tantrums and tantrums when he doesn’t get his way. These are not signs of a well-adjusted adult approaching 80 years old.”

Trump is the oldest US president to be sworn into office, which some critics say is alarming fall proof He achieved this status at the age of eighty, a status more than half of his predecessors never achieved, and at a time when Gerald Ford was playing golf, Jimmy Carter was immersed in humanitarian work, and Ronald Reagan was editing his memoirs.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll in February found that 61 percent of Americans thought Trump was becoming more unstable as he got older. Another poll in April showed a majority were concerned about his temperament and mental acuity.

Although they aggressively project a narrative of power, it becomes increasingly difficult for their aides to conceal physical evidence. The president was photographed with bruised hands and swollen ankles; ailments that medical staff consistently dismiss as a “minor” problem. He consults with 22 medical professionals, An obvious new bar for presidents.

The public calendar has become increasingly infrequent, dominated by hours of indefinite “management time” and closed-door policy meetings. After hectic travels at the beginning of the year, he has largely retreated to the cocoons of the White House and his clubs in Florida and New Jersey since the launch of the Iran war in February.

Then there is sleep. Trump has been increasingly caught on camera shaking his head at public events lately NBA basketball finals match at New York’s Madison Square Garden. As clips of his closed eyes go viral, his aides claim he’s just blinking or listening intently.

White House spokesman Davis Ingle emphasized that Trump remains “the sharpest and most approachable president in American history.” The president himself often boasts “active” cognitive tests This would have stunned past presidents.

But according to observers, this turn is not only unconvincing but also counterproductive. Kurt BardellaThe political commentator and former congressional aide said: “It’s no surprise that someone who has reached the age of octogenarians is showing signs of aging. Father Time is invincible: That’s true of everyone, including Donald Trump and I. We would have more confidence in him as commander in chief if he would acknowledge it rather than try to hide it.”

Bardella added: “Hiding it is a sign of weakness. Being transparent, upfront, honest about it would actually be a sign of strength. It’s an insult to the American people for the White House to go to all these ridiculous and ridiculous measures to convince us that it’s not aging, it’s stupid, it smacks of desperation and it makes everyone believe there’s more to it than meets the eye. And what stands out isn’t that big. Secrecy breeds distrust.”

If this complaint sounds familiar, it’s because Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, who was 78 when he took office in 2021, faced similar accusations. White House officials have been accused of covering up Biden’s failing capacities. Former First Lady Jill Biden wrote in a new memoir that she feared her husband would have a stroke when a poor debate performance forced him to abandon his re-election campaign.

Bill WhalenThe policy researcher at the Hoover Institution think tank in Stanford, California, said: “It is very difficult, if not a double standard, for any Democrat to criticize Donald Trump for being too old and out of touch, at a time when Democrats are pursing their lips in 2024 and not daring to say the same about Joe Biden. In this age of Whataboutism, this is another bad example of Whataboutism.”

But Trump’s critics reject that comparison, arguing that the concerns around him are orders of magnitude greater.

Currently running Setmayer Seneca Projecta women-led political action committee, said: “There needs to be a fair discussion about the physical and emotional state of a president, regardless of their age. But if Joe Biden publicly displayed the same level of cognitive dissonance and physical decline that Donald Trump does now, the paralysis on the right would be palpable.”

Such commentators argue that as Trump’s stamina wanes, so does his already volatile psyche. Even as the country is at war with Iran and citizens are struggling with the cost of living, he is touting plans for a $1.4 billion ballroom at the White House, a renovation of the Lincoln Memorial’s reflecting pool and a giant triumphal arch.

Long discontinuous and full of long stories, his conversations become increasingly rambling, repetitive, and take surprising tangents. He’s more prone to absurd statements like “I don’t think about Americans’ finances” and “I don’t care about the midterms” that give Republican strategists heartburn. “I love inflation”. He pushes election conspiracy theories and AI nonsense on social media in the dead of night.

Nowhere was this more evident than in her violent confrontation with journalist Kristen Welker on NBC’s Meet the Press last week. Trump, whose baseless claims that the election was rigged were confirmed, dismissed the issue out of hand, saying Welker was either a “crook” or an “idiot,” then abruptly ended the interview: “Let’s stop this because enough is enough. Thank you, darling. Have fun.”

Larry SabatoThe director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics watched the broadcast with genuine concern. “The guy was out of control,” he said. “I don’t know how he kept himself from having a heart attack or stroke. You saw his face. It was orange at the best of times, but it was going back and forth between red and orange. I really thought he was going to have a heart attack.”

As for Trump’s fondness for candy, Sabato offers some promise. “You shouldn’t laugh, but this is the only time he looks peaceful,” he joked. “This is the only time his mouth is shut and he doesn’t say something obnoxious, so I’m always grateful when he nods.

“But this proves to me that there’s no one in his family or on his team who can control him in any way. There’s no way someone his age can stay up nearly all night or wake up intermittently and send these crazy memes — sometimes dozens of them. It’s incredible.”

The prospect of such a man having access to the nuclear codes would often trigger discussions about his cabinet invoking the 25th amendment to the constitution to oust him. No one expects Trump’s loyal team to even remotely consider such an option. Republicans in Congress have made opposition moves recently but have maintained a conspiracy of silence on the age issue.

Trump is therefore expected to remain in office well into his 81st and 82nd birthdays, a lame duck president who will face political death if Democrats win one or both houses of Congress. For many people, such an age brings wisdom, longing, and a softening of the harsh aspects; but for Trump, this only seems to worsen his character and make him more truly himself.

Trump biographer Gwenda Blair said: “Any signs of grace? Perspective? Those haven’t come out. These are the kinds of rewards of being old that many people experience that he doesn’t. Instead, he doubles down on the same patterns of behavior he’s always had: What’s in it for me, and how can I get the most out of it, even more than that?”

Questions about the judgment and temperament of the world’s most powerful man and potential risks to global order will grow in the coming years. Larry JacobsDirector of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota.

“The recklessness of decisions, the failure to think logically based on evidence, acting on impulse, losing track of reality over talking points—all of these things accelerate with Trump’s age. The skills of most presidents begin to fade as they get older; Trump has such a limited tool set that it pushes him over the edge.”

Jacobs warned: “America and the world face a frightening couple of years. Trump has too much power for someone with so little connection to reality. Age makes Trump an even more dangerous president.”