This is an opinion column.

President Joe Biden shouldn’t drop out of the presidential race. The kid from Scranton is a man of the people. He stood shoulder to shoulder with a Black family against angry protesters during the Civil Rights Era. As a blue collar icon, he put on his trucker cap and drove a big rig for a while. After scraping to get by, he was the first in his family to go to college. If that isn’t enough of an American story, his uncle was almost certainly eaten by cannibals during WWII. So what if Biden had a bad night against former President Donald Trump? He has acknowledged that he doesn’t “debate as well as [he] used to,” but at least he knows how to tell the truth.

Every one of those claims either radically stretches the truth or is downright false.

For every MAGA Trump supporter out there claiming, “Trump, just tells it like it is,” there’s a Biden supporter saying, “At least Biden tells the truth.” The legacy media is hell bent on calling out Trump’s lies and exaggerations at every turn. The same can’t be said for Biden.

Biden is a career politician who has been in office for 50 years. Over that span, he’s managed occupy most of the policy spectrum from left to right and back again. He’s also amassed millions of dollars in net worth from speaking engagements and book deals. The president has made so much money off his life in public office that he doesn’t even know the precise amount. In an April 2024 speech delivered in Scranton, Biden noted, “I hope you’re all able to make $400,000. I never did.” The president’s salary is $400,000. Even if we ignore Biden’s income history, his statement is demonstrably false as a matter of law. He’s actually made more than $400,000 several times including more than $11 million in 2017.

To borrow from Buddy the Elf, Biden sits on a throne of lies.

The question now is whether Biden is intentionally lying or simply a diminished elderly man who can’t keep track. Special Counsel Robert Hur characterized Biden as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory” in declining to prosecute the president for his mishandling of classified documents.

Democrats quickly came to Biden’s defense.

Vice President Kamala Harris criticized Hur’s unflattering take on Biden as “gratuitous, inaccurate and inappropriate. “I think it was an entirely inappropriate way to approach the remit of the special counsel and the role of the special counsel,” Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon said of Hur’s conclusions. “It’s unfortunate it wandered into territory that was so inappropriate.” Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia said questions about Biden’s competency were “ultimately just noise.” Commenting on his time spent with Biden, Ossoff said, “I’ve found him to be sharp, focused, impressive, formidable and effective.”

The White House has repeatedly dismissed criticisms of Biden’s mental acuity.

“He passes a cognitive test every day,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said of Biden as she explained the rigors of the presidency far exceeded the demands of a 15-minute cognitive test. North Carolina radio host Mark Garrison asked if Biden had dementia. “Mark, I can’t even believe you’re asking me this question,” an outraged Jean-Pierre responded. “That is an incredibly offensive question to ask.”

Democrats don’t want Biden held accountable for his tall tales, and they refuse to concede his diminished capacity.

Now Democrats are asking the American people to reject what they’ve now seen with their own eyes and ears. There’s no shame in an octogenarian slowing down both mentally and physically. Unfortunately, politicians too often stay in elected office propped up by staff and supporters well past any reasonable point. Senators Strom Thurmond (R-SC), Robert Byrd (D-WV), and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) immediately come to mind. Biden simply happens to be the latest politician on that list.

Biden couldn’t even defend his own golf handicap in the recent debate against Trump. It wasn’t a cold. It wasn’t jet-lag. It wasn’t emotion over Hunter Biden’s legal woes. Against an aged peer who made plenty of rhetorical missteps, Biden failed to present himself as a coherent alternative.

Biden’s self-mythology hasn’t been true for years. Now, he might not know the difference. As a result, Democratic electoral prospects may be the only thing declining faster than the president’s current mental and physical capacity. Republicans aren’t going to wait for the competition to figure out it needs to help Biden into an early retirement.

Republicans who want to win in the 2024 election cycle are encouraging Biden to embrace his own legend. “Great job tonight, Joe Biden,” Senator Tommy Tuberville posted. “You should definitely continue running for President.” The kid from Scranton got knocked down in the debate, but he’ll dust himself off, don on his trucker hat, and put the pedal to the floor. While Biden might see himself driving that 18-wheeler, Democrats will likely see Trump as the next president of the United States.

Smith is a recovering political attorney with four boys, two dogs, a bearded dragon, and an extremely patient wife. He’s a partner in a media company, a business strategy wonk, and a regular on talk radio. Please direct outrage or agreement to [email protected] or @DCameronSmith on X or @davidcameronsmith on Threads.