"Babbling Due to Slip of Tongue" Biden Resigns, Raising Elderly Risk Concerns for Trump

NYT Report
59-Year-Old Harris' Appearance Sparks Debate Over 78-Year-Old Trump’s Age

One month ahead of the U.S. presidential election, concerns about the advanced age of the 78-year-old Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump, are gaining attention, reported the U.S. daily The New York Times (NYT) on the 6th (local time).

According to the polling firm YouGov, a survey conducted from the 29th of last month to the 1st of this month with 1,638 voters found that 40% of respondents said, "Trump's health and age will significantly limit his ability to perform the duties of the presidency."

Previously, until the end of June before 82-year-old President Biden resigned from the Democratic candidacy in July amid age and cognitive concerns, the figure was around 27%, but this response surged sharply in just over three months. With the Democratic candidate changing to 59-year-old Vice President Kamala Harris, the age-related risk appears to be directed toward former President Trump. According to the YouGov survey, only 7% of voters expressed concern about Vice President Harris's age.

Recently, the increasing number of verbal slips by former President Trump has also highlighted the age-related risk.

On the 18th of last month, he mentioned the moderator's unfairness during a TV debate with Vice President Harris on Fox News, saying, "The audience was completely excited." However, there was no audience present during the debate.

The NYT pointed out that former President Trump called the movie The Silence of the Lambs "The Silence of the Lips" and referred to Tesla CEO Elon Musk as "Leon" instead of "Elon." He also misnamed the 'AK-47' automatic rifle as 'MK-47,' 'Charlottesville' as 'Charlottstown,' and 'Minneapolis' as 'Minianapolis.'

The increase in the length of former President Trump's speeches is also fueling concerns about aging.

The NYT reported that its own computer analysis showed that former President Trump's average speech length increased from 45 minutes in 2016 to 82 minutes currently. Compared to the 2016 election, the use of absolute terms such as "always" and "never" increased by about 13%, and the use of negative words increased by 32%, which is seen as a sign of aging and cognitive changes.

The newspaper also reported that former President Trump's campaign events this year totaled 61, a significant decrease compared to 283 events in 2016.

The NYT noted, "Former President Trump's speeches are increasingly angry and rambling," adding, "His speeches are reigniting doubts about his age."