What was expected to be just another routine electoral cycle is turning into a historic moment—one comparable in significance to the 2016 election. As reported by The Wall Street Journal, the decision by Joe Biden’s inner circle to conceal the decline in his cognitive abilities—and thus deprive the Democratic Party of an open primary—may go down as one of the most consequential political miscalculations of our time. But the implications stretch far beyond the United States.
Electoral Inertia and the Fear of Trump
According to the WSJ, signs of Biden’s cognitive decline were already evident in 2023. Yet rather than acknowledge the need for a new candidate, the party elite chose a strategy of silence—effectively a form of political denial. This allowed Biden to bypass a competitive nomination process, while simultaneously depriving the Democratic Party of fresh ideas and emerging leadership. When it became clear that the president could no longer meet the physical demands of office, Kamala Harris was hastily put forward as his successor—without internal debate, without a vote, and without genuine legitimacy.
At the same time, Democrats focused their efforts on legal challenges against Trump, seeking to disqualify him from the ballot through judicial means. These moves, the WSJ argues, only strengthened Trump’s standing among his base, turning him into both martyr and lightning rod for populist outrage.
The Republican Party, for its part, not only rallied around Donald Trump but also seized on the Biden controversy as proof of a "media and political elite" out of touch with ordinary Americans. In the rhetoric of the 2024–2025 campaign, the concealment of the president’s condition became a symbol of the "deep state" subverting the will of the people.
In one report by The Independent, a campaign staffer described Biden during the 2020 race as "a grandpa who shouldn’t be driving."
EPA
A Crisis of Internal Trust
According to a Pew Research survey conducted in spring 2025, Americans’ trust in federal institutions continues to erode. Over 60% of respondents said they feel "alienated" from the political system, while 48% believe that "truth in politics is now optional." These numbers reflect more than voter fatigue—they signal a deep erosion of the foundations of republican governance. Meanwhile, the major media’s reluctance to acknowledge or seriously address the president’s incapacitation only deepened the sense of informational disconnect.
As the WSJ points out: the refusal to acknowledge the obvious "was not a calculated strategy but an abdication of responsibility"—and its consequences are now playing out in full.
Democratic Weakness as a Global Signal
On the international stage, the implications are no less alarming. U.S. allies in Europe and Asia are watching with growing unease as a system once held up as a model of transparency and accountability begins to show signs of institutional decay. In a private conversation with Germany’s FAZ newspaper, a senior NATO diplomat voiced concern: "America is acting as if it has an unlimited line of credit when it comes to trust—but that credit has already run out."