Biden campaign flips script that got Harris out of the race while Trump campaign defends his 'competence'

The VP Harris campaign is employing tactics used by former President Trump against President Biden to challenge Trump's age in the realm of presidential politics.

The Trump campaign rejected the strategy and defended the former president, stating that it's not about age but competence.

"Kamala Harris has proven to be just as incompetent and ineffective as Joe Biden, according to Karoline Leavitt, Trump campaign press secretary. While Kamala avoids the press and hasn't given an interview in over 30 days, President Trump takes tough questions from hostile media daily and continues a busy schedule despite ongoing legal threats and an assassination attempt."

Despite growing pressure from Democrats to abandon his 2024 presidential bid due to age and cognitive concerns, Biden's campaign and the White House have been evasive when questioned by reporters about these issues. Meanwhile, Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, have taken subtle jabs at Trump, who is 78, for his age.

At a campaign event in Newport Beach this month, Walz characterized Trump as "fatigued," "low on energy," and the "man who needs a break on the weekends."

In Harris campaign emails, they claimed that Trump would "ramble incoherently" during press conferences and stated that "Trump tried to read some paper for more than 40 minutes, while giving a stream of not-much-consciousness."

According to Tevi Troy, a political strategist and former George W. Bush White House official, the presidential beef over age isn't new. However, "the left has all these ideas that you can't offend or criticize anybody unless they're Donald Trump," he stated.

The scrutiny of Biden's mental acuity is considered discrimination or prejudice based on a person's age, as several media outlets reportedly labeled it "ageism."

"The issue of age is advantageous for the left, as Trump emphasized it heavily against Biden, despite their similar age. However, once Biden departs, Trump's age becomes a significant point of comparison with Harris, and they take pleasure in highlighting it."

John F. Kennedy, a young presidential candidate, highlighted his youthful energy and distinguished himself from Dwight D. Eisenhower, the elderly president, during his campaign. This contrast was a strategic move on Kennedy's part.

In 1980, during the primaries, George H.W. Bush, who was running against Ronald Reagan, frequently emphasized his age of 56, which was near the median age for presidents, to suggest that Reagan, who was 10 years older, might not be fit for the job. This led to conflict between the two camps, but Bush ultimately became Reagan's vice president.

"The attacks don't always work, though," Troy said.

In 1984, Walter Mondale attempted to use Reagan's age as a disadvantage following a poor showing in the first debate. However, Troy noted that Reagan effectively redirected the conversation by rephrasing the topic.

"Troy said that Reagan's great line about not exploiting his opponent's youth and inexperience diffused the issue, and Mondale knew at that moment he lost the election."

The Harris campaign did not respond to Planet Chronicle Digital by the deadline.