Economist Paul Krugman lays out reasons to be 'deeply troubled about our nation’s future'

14 February 2024

When Robert Hur delivered his final report on classified government documents that President Joe Biden was keeping in his Delaware home, the special counsel said there would be no criminal indictment. But Hur expressed concerns about Biden's age, describing the 81-year-old Democrat as a "sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory."

In his February 12 column for the New York Times, liberal economist Paul Krugman lays out some reasons why the "frenzy over President Biden's age" is making him "profoundly concerned about the nation's future."

"It now seems entirely possible that within the next year, American democracy could be irretrievably altered," Krugman warns.

The economist argues that Biden "has been a remarkably effective president," stressing that his "occasional verbal slips" don't erase his achievements with the economy, health care and technology — while Trump continues to flaunt his authoritarianism.

"And what about his opponent, who is only four years younger?" Krugman writes. "Maybe some people are impressed by the fact that Trump talks loud and mean, but what about what he's actually saying in his speeches? They're frequently rambling word salads, full of bizarre claims like his assertion on Friday that if he loses in November, 'they’re going to change the name of Pennsylvania.'"

Krugman adds, "Not to mention confusing Nikki Haley with Nancy Pelosi and mistaking E. Jean Carroll for one of his ex-wives…. Over the past few days, while the national discussion has been dominated by talk about Biden's age, Trump declared that he wouldn't intervene to help 'delinquent' NATO members if Russia were to attack them, even suggesting that he might encourage such an attack."

Krugman laments that "the lucid, well-informed candidate" — Biden— "is getting more heat over his age than his ranting, factually challenged opponent," Trump.

"Until just the other day," Krugman writes, "I was feeling somewhat optimistic. But now, I'm deeply troubled about our nation’s future."

Paul Krugman's full New York Times column is available at this link (subscription required).

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