Have you noticed that there seems to be a campaign emerging to second guess Joe Biden’s decision to run for reelection? Throughout his first term as president, the legacy media and progressive online sites have turned a blind eye to Biden’s obvious decline, both mentally and physically. Suddenly something changed. Over the weekend, two major newspapers published editorials pointing out that Biden’s age cannot be ignored.

The Wall Street Journal noted that Biden is in “obvious decline” and that reelecting the octogenarian would be a historical mistake. The New York Times published its version of an editorial declaring Biden as too old to be president. Like the WSJ, the NYT said that everyone ages differently. However, when a reporter questions him about his age and the ability to do the job, Biden’s stock answer is “Watch me.” Cute but it doesn’t square with his actions. He hides from the press, spending 40% of his time as president away from the White House at one of his two homes in Delaware or at Camp David. His staff runs interference for him and keeps the press corps away from him. Biden rarely gives a press conference. There is no “watching” him at all. Concerns about Biden’s age are legit, says the NYT editorial.

But Mr. Biden has given voters very few chances to do just that — to watch him — and his refusal to engage with the public regularly raises questions about his age and health.

The usual White House method of demonstrating a president’s mastery is to take tough questions in front of cameras, but Mr. Biden has not taken advantage of that opportunity, as The Times reported on Friday. He has held fewer news conferences and media interviews than most of his modern predecessors. Since 1923, only Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan took fewer questions per month from reporters, and neither represents a model of presidential openness that Mr. Biden should want to emulate. His reticence has created an opening for critics and skeptics.

Don’t misunderstand – The New York Times doesn’t think Biden has done a bad job as president, it is mostly complimentary of Biden’s job performance. It’s just that there is little transparency on this subject and there is no guarantee that Biden will make it to 2024, much less to 2028 when he will be 86 years old. I’m not implying he’ll die but he certainly may find himself unable to fight it anymore and be forced to retire from office. It is crazy to think that by 2028, the most powerful country in the world may have an 86-year-old president who is in severe mental and physical decline. His weakness makes the country look weak on the world stage. As it is now, he does not command the respect of other world leaders, friends, or foes. It’s not a good place for the United States to be.

There is no consistency in Biden’s performance as it is now. Some speeches are delivered well and he receives good reviews, like his State of the Union address this year. I didn’t like what he said about Republicans or his policies but he did deliver it pretty well for him. Other times we just cringe and bear it as we hope he finishes up quickly. He mumbles and slurs his words while he appears confused about the task at hand. It is to the point that even the NYT can’t ignore it anymore.

The press had a field day when Trump’s physician released a statement about his health in 2016 that declared he would be “the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.” Biden’s physician’s statement included describing him as a “healthy, vigorous 80-year-old male who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency.” Vigorous? There was no cognitive testing, though, so there is nothing to go on there. There doesn’t seem to be any curiosity in the press about that. I’m old enough to remember during Trump’s term in office, Democrats called for looking into using the 25th Amendment against Trump. As usual, there is a double standard for Republicans and Democrats.

Biden is expected to announce his reelection bid via video this week, maybe Tuesday. He is already signaling he will campaign from the basement in one of his Delaware homes, as he did during the pandemic. Biden doesn’t have the energy or stamina to do a traditional campaign. It is interesting to watch the campaign in the press developing now, just before he pulls the trigger and makes his intention to run official.