I can’t help thinking we’re in some mirror image of the Biden presidency. It’s a funny house mirror, to be sure, but a mirror nonetheless. An aging president is exhibiting strange behavior, and the people around him and his supporters in the media assure us there is nothing to see here. The president is at the top of his game. Deluged today with books exposing Joe Biden’s cognitive decline, will books describe the coverup of Donald Trump’s decline four years hence?

Trump,suporters point to his suceesses. The “businessman” knows how to make deals. A slew of executive orders has changed almost everything. The border is secure. Tariffs force manufacturing to return to the Rust Belt, and foreigners invest trillions in the U.S., creating many good-paying jobs.

Remember the early euphoria over Joe Biden’s string of legislative successes? Finally, an infrastructure bill to fix everything, the Inflation Reduction Act to save the planet. Joe rivaled FDR or even exceeded him. Biden’s experience in foreign affairs will keep the peace. Democrats were elated.

Now, all this seems so long ago. Joe’s foreign affairs expertise brought us the horrendous Afghan withdrawal, the ongoing wars in Ukraine, and the Middle East. His Inflation Reduction Act gave us the highest inflation in forty years. Biden and his backers forgot that weakness invites aggression, and wild spending brings rising prices.

With things going awry, people started questioning the president’s competence. His stumbling, sometimes incoherent actions caused alarm. Yet everyone, from the White House to Biden’s legions of media supporters, told us Joe was sharp as a tack.

When the Wall Street Journal said otherwise, the whole media seemed down on the paper. Biden supporters ignored the dangers of the Afghan withdrawal or wild spending. The news media ‘s job is to alert people to possible problems, but they see none; if they do, they keep it to themselves. One book after another implies the administration’s abundant failures were due to Biden’s decline.

By going all in for Biden, much of the media lost trust. Both CNN and MSNBC have been abandoned by viewers when they should be gaining by presenting counter views to a still-not-too-popular Trump. People don’t want to hear from those who told you the Afghan fiasco wasn’t so bad, inflation was transitory, and “this is the best version of Biden ever.“

The result of all of this is a lost election, and Democrats and their media allies are wandering in the desert. Could the MAGA crowd emulate these Biden progressives? While there is much to like about lowering taxes and regulations on businesses, keeping taxes in general low, and correcting trade practices unfairly harming U.S. exports, protectionist mercantilism has never worked.

Everyone is for peace, but not at any price. Trump promised to end the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza almost instantly upon re-election. Despite this grandiose claim, the wars go on. Lofty pronouncements about trillions of dollars to be invested in America, while vast amounts flow into the treasury, are wonderful if true, but where are the workers to do the jobs? We’re kicking lots of people out while letting fewer in.

The president receives support almost 24/7 on Fox News and Newsmax. The former has contributed significantly to filling out the administration. Fox even gave Lara Trump an hour a week for a Trump infomercial.

In his first term, Trump reduced both corporate and individual taxes. That policy was classic supply-side economics. More money to invest spurs the economy, ultimately raising revenues. He wants to retain these cuts but add breaks for special groups this time—no tax on tips, social security benefits, overtime, and U.S. auto loans. The Wall Street Journal’s Capital Account columnist, Greg Ip, says these tax breaks are more akin to Democrats’ special interest cuts than supply-side, as they boost consumption instead of investment.

The problems with Trump’s actions are inconsistencies, confusion, and outright contradictions. We’re told countries running a positive trade balance with us are ripping us off, and reversing this is imperative. Yet, the very first trade deal is with the U.K., a country running a negative trade balance with us. Are we ripping off the Brits? The deal isn’t favorable to them. Why are we punishing our closest ally?

We bombed the Houthis in Yemen till they agreed to leave our ships alone. But they and Israel continue to exchange blows. What about the other nation’s vessels making up most of the Suez Canal traffic? We secure the release of our last Hamas hostage while leaving dozens of Israelis. Does “America First” mean America only?

The idea that tariffs will bring vast wealth while protecting homemade goods from foreign competition without raising prices is contradictory. A tariff high enough to keep out competition means no goods to levy a tariff on, hence no revenue. If importers pay and still bring the same goods from abroad, those goods displace the homemade goods.

Trump has always had confusing, contradictory ideas. For instance, his pro-tariff views date back to the 1980s. What is different in his second term is the lack of pushback from those around him to face the problems. No daughter or son-in-law is in the inner circle, no vice-president Mike Pence, and no cabinet members, such as Mike Pompeo or Nikki Haley, are to raise questions.  

As someone older than Biden and Trump, I can certainly attest to being more set in our ways as we age. Tolerance for opposing views narrows. I have to fight these tendencies every day. Exposing myself to views I might not like might provide greater insight, but it’s a chore.

Joe Biden’s geriatric failings were evident to anyone who chose to notice. Trump’s old age shortcomings are more subtle. He shows vigor by doing more trips, interviews, and public ceremonies than ever. Always seeking the limelight—he posed as his own P.R. person in his younger days—he now seems to be out there 24/7. Doesn’t this seem increasingly manic?

Like many older people, his legacy is at the top of the list. His desire to expand significantly the U.S. on the map is an example. This view may explain his deference to Russia’s Putin. Russia appears massive on the map, especially in the Mercator projections. If Russia is that big, it must be a great power. Forget that the Russian economy is smaller than Italy’s. To be great, we need more of our color on the map. If this seems shallow, remember we’re talking about Donald Trump: Greenland, Canada, and Panama, beware.

As he approaches octogenarianism, Trump only gets more Trumpy, with no geriatric aid. As with Biden’s observed decline, rising incoherence, and growing disdain for opposing opinions can be signs of old age problems. I wonder if Fox and Newsmax will suffer the same fate as CNN and MSNBC due to their lack of awareness. Media coverups aren’t acceptable, no matter who does it.