Risk of dementia in the U.S. presidential elections

In Finland and the USA, presidential elections are taking place. We have two middle-aged men facing each other, both in good health, with no significant decline in mental and physical condition expected in the upcoming term. In this sense, things in Finland are quite exemplary.

It's a different story in the world's leading superpower. The Democratic candidate and the incumbent president, Joe Biden, was born in the midst of World War II in 1942, making him 82 this year and, if he were to serve another term, he would be 86 at its end. At times, there have been signs of both mental and physical deterioration in him.

Biden's likely opponent in the presidential election is the former president of the USA, Republican Donald Trump. He is slightly younger than Biden, also an older man. Thus, it is clear that the onset of old age symptoms is likely for him during a potential upcoming presidential term.

If the scenario unfolds in the U.S. elections where these two candidates are pitted against each other, there is a significant risk that the grip of the world's leading superpower on realpolitik weakens. In the worst-case scenario, power transfers to the vice president, but a president turning senile may hold onto power for an extended period.

This, in turn, implies that undemocratic forces gain more weight in global politics. This is especially true for the strongest among them, China, but Russia will undoubtedly seek to exploit such a situation as well, potentially even militarily.

Therefore, it would be excellent if Americans across party lines understood that their country needs a younger leader, one likely to remain functional throughout his term. This is particularly crucial now, as European leaders believed that world history ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union and allowed their crisis response capabilities to deteriorate – capabilities they certainly won't be able to fix over the next four years.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Military confrontation between China and USA highly probable in near future
Will China ally with Russia against Ukraine?
Leaders infected by a parasite