This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime scoops, the kind most journalists can only dream of, the kind that can make a career.
It's like Watergate, the Pentagon Papers, and whatever Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were seen doing yesterday afternoon all wrapped up in one explosive exposé.
The piece was written by esteemed author David A. Graham, whom I only know is esteemed because he won the coveted "Toner Prize for Excellence in National Political Reporting" in 2021. Sure, I've never heard of it either, but I'm pretty sure we're all supposed to be super impressed, otherwise he wouldn't have included it in his bio.
In any case, Graham starts off his piece with a stunning revelation.
Donald Trump is an old man.
He backs this up with an impressive recitation of facts that must have taken him minutes to crib from Wikipedia.
He's 77 years old. When Trump was born, Harry S. Truman was president and Perry Como topped the year's pop charts. Betty White hadn't yet started her career in film. Israel and Pakistan didn't exist. Korea was a unified country, and Vietnam was not. The pioneering computer ENIAC was just four months old.
He goes on like that for three more paragraphs finishing with a recitation of how many loved ones Trump has lost.
Trump's older sister died recently — at the age of 86. His younger brother died in 2020; another brother died in 1981. His first wife died last year.
He then cites instances of where Trump has made mistakes, like mixing up Sioux Falls with Sioux City - you know, egregious errors that could result in a diplomatic crisis that could easily escalate into a full-blown conflict between the long-time bitter rivals.
(Think Hamas-Israel, only fewer rockets and more ice cream socials.)
What's the point of all this?
To the extent that old age is an issue for a presidential contender, it should be an issue for both.
You may file this under the category of "I know what you are, but what am I?"
In August, the Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research gave Americans an open-ended question soliciting their associations for each candidate. Age topped the list for Biden, with 41 percent calling him "old," "slow," or "confused." Only 4 percent said the same of Trump. (The top descriptors for him were "corrupt," "crooked," "criminal," and "liar.") In a September poll from Monmouth University, three-quarters of voters said Biden was too old to be president, versus almost half who said the same about Trump.
Why has Trump managed to get a pass?
This is where Graham's Toner-award-winning journalistic skills really shine through.
It's because Trump is orange.
Long attuned to the power of appearances, Trump has focused on how he looks. He is often mocked for his heavy orange makeup, his hair dye, and the elaborate nest of hair he constructs atop his head, but those embellishments have also done their job, making him look less old than he might otherwise.
Graham prattles on like that for a while. You can picture him clearing space on the mantle for his next Toner Prize.
I had to look that up, by the way, as every time I read it all I could think of is what a top HP Printer salesman might win.
Apparently, it's a really medium deal.
The Robin Toner Program in Political Reporting was established in 2009 to celebrate the life and work of Robin Toner, the late New York Times political correspondent.[1] It is awarded by the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications of Syracuse University.
Graham ends the piece with this.
The idea that Trump has the stamina for the presidency but Biden does not has little evidence to back it up...
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