Should Biden Give Up? Ask Yourself the Same Question About Trump

We cannot function in a society that holds a normal politician like Biden to a much higher standard than an abnormal politician like Trump.

Someone had to knock America on its head, because this country makes no sense.

Last week, President Joe Biden had a disastrous debate performance that heightened concerns about his age and mental acuity. That’s a fact, and it has prompted members of the Democratic Party to ask themselves some fair and serious questions about the best path forward.

That makes sense.

It’s a mature and reasonable response, much like the response a mature and reasonable person might expect if, to take a random example, a political party’s presidential candidate had been convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records and found liable for sexual assault and defamation.

Democrats said: “Our nominee is an older man and he struggled to be heard in a prime-time debate, sometimes losing his train of thought and generally appearing weak. Should we replace him? How can we rebuild trust among voters?”

Republicans, for their part, said: “Our candidate is also an elderly man and a convicted felon who fomented an insurrection and continues to deny the results of the last presidential election while often delivering nearly indecipherable rally speeches about boats, sharks and batteries. Who cares? TRUMP 2024!”

Pundits Call for Biden to Step Down. Why Doesn’t Trump Hear the Same?

Beyond the parties themselves, a veritable parade of pundits and commentators from across the political spectrum have decided, unequivocally, that Biden MUST be replaced on the Democratic ticket. He must go. The end.

The day after the debate, the New York Times editorial board trumpeted: “To serve his country, President Biden should quit the race.”

The New Yorker’s editor-in-chief called on Biden to step down.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution editorial board wrote under the headline: “It’s time for Biden to pass the torch.”

And Trump’s lies? Biden’s disastrous debate creates a mirage of Trump’s competence. It’s all lies.

All of this – from opinion-makers and political prognosticators on platforms large and small – would be fine and make perfect sense… if the guy representing the Republican Party in this race wasn’t A LITERAL CRIMINAL.

Trump has done worse than “getting old” – he’s a convicted felon

How can we, as a country, look at Trump and say, “Well, he’s been convicted of crimes; he’s been indicted in a bunch of other cases, including one in which he’s accused of hiding some of our nation’s most confidential documents in the bathroom of his golf resort; he regularly demonizes immigrants; he’s pitted Americans against each other and called anyone who disagrees with him “scum” or worse… but it’s not like we should demand that he step down and not try to be president!”

Where is the Times editorial lambasting the Republican Party for having the gall to suggest that someone like Trump was somehow fit to serve as commander in chief?

At a rally this weekend, as the working class debated the issue, Trump said: “They want electric planes. What happens if the sun doesn’t shine while you’re in the air? Well, sir, I told you there’d be problems, sir. No. They want all electric. They want electric boats. The problem with boats is they don’t float because the battery is so heavy it sinks the boat. They say we don’t care, we want them anyway.”

What?

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision clarifying the scope of presidential immunity for “official acts,” solely because Trump has been repeatedly indicted for alleged crimes committed while he was president.

And yet, liberal political thinkers and strategists are listing a long list of possible replacements for Biden, while no Republican pundit or adviser is saying, “We need Trump to step down and let Nikki Haley run, for the good of the country and the party!”

This is not a defense of Biden, it is an appeal to common sense.

I’m not here to defend Biden. I fully understand the concerns that followed last week’s debate. And contrary to the right-wing caricature of liberal columnists, I don’t feel devoted to Biden. I don’t have a poster of Biden hanging in my bedroom, and if he ends up stepping down, I’ll respect that and support whomever the Democrats run against Trump.

I don’t like political candidates, no matter who they are. But I am afraid of Trump and the chaos and cruelty he would bring to another presidential term.

Trump’s debate performance: Republicans deserve the version of Trump we saw in the debate. Too bad it won’t last.

So I hear the complaints about Biden, I understand the age issues, and I’m open to the discussion about what’s best for the Democratic Party and the country. But I say that’s all completely wrong because we live in a timeline where “this guy is old” is far more important than “this guy is a cruel con man and he’s clearly crazy.”

You can’t question Biden’s ability and not also question Trump’s.

What exactly is the logic behind this situation? Is it more like, “Biden might not be able to finish his presidency, so we’d better give the job to the convicted rapist”?

If the thinking of this country is so messed up that a disturbing debate performance by a man who has accomplished a lot as president is more important than — imagine me waving my hands vigorously in all directions — all the crazy things Trump has done and continues to do, then we are right and truly screwed.

We cannot function in a society that holds a normal politician like Biden to a much higher standard than an abnormal politician like Trump.

We cannot take seriously the voices screaming for Biden to step down, unless they are screaming just as loudly for Trump to get lost.

America needs to have a long, hard conversation with itself: Something is wrong

I don’t know what the answer to Biden’s question is. That’s for others, and for Biden himself, to figure out.

But I know the guy who represents the other party has done a lot worse than showing his age during a debate. A lot worse.

And the screams are not proportional at all. Not even close.

I don’t know what’s wrong with you, America. You make absolutely no sense in saying what you say.

Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on X, formerly Twitter, @RexHuppke and Facebook facebook.com/RexIsAJerk