The issue is not Joe Biden’s age. Can we trust his cognitive capacity?

Decades of cultivating a respect for older Americans went out the window after the June 27 debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. As a culture, we have always shown less deference for the elderly than say, Japan or Native Americans, but Biden's disastrous debate performance may have caused more damage to the status of older people than anything that has come before it. An ageist media that promotes youth and beauty over age and experience has had a field day with Biden, whose cognitive deficits — the real issue — appear to have been a challenge for him for at least a year. 

A recent article from the American Psychological Association said ageism is “discrimination against older people because of negative and inaccurate stereotypes — and it’s so ingrained in our culture that we often don’t even notice.” It goes on to state that ageism is one of the last socially acceptable prejudices, one that “pervades American culture.”  The APA article urges people to “reimagine healthier relationships with their older selves.”   

Yet there has been nary a peep from anyone as media pundits and politicians who should know better keep hammering on Biden’s age — he’s 81 — rather than his potential cognitive deficits. If Biden’s age were the issue, why wouldn’t there be similar panic about Trump, who is around four years younger at 78?   

No one denies that aging can be associated with a decline in memory, development of dementia and diminished physical health. However, we have made a concerted effort not to make broad judgments based on associations. We carefully insure that the fact some races are associated with higher rates of violent crime, or that adherents of certain religious beliefs more readily support terrorism do not result in racial or religious profiling. As human beings, we tend to live our lives using probability, which at times results in bad judgment and tragic consequences.    

It can be argued that the experience of older Americans trumps the judgment of younger Americans, especially today. Lived experience often results in far greater wisdom than passive study.   

For example, it is truly mystifying to older Americans who had relatives killed in the Holocaust, or lived through the attack that brought down the Twin Towers, to see the young and clueless celebrating a massacre in the name of a similar antisemitic ideology. The elderly know where these failed beliefs lead, which is why their judgment is so needed today.   

Opinion:Biden is running out of time to fix his campaign. What happens next will decide things.

Experience is the best teacher, as the saying goes.    

That said, however, Biden suffered far too little scrutiny as he dodged interviews during his term, which were fewer than any modern president.  His administration promised to “bring truth and transparency back to the government,” but in his first two years had only 54 interviews with the press — the lowest since Ronald Reagan (who had his own cognitive deficits by the end of his second term), compared to the 202 under Donald Trump and 275 under Barack Obama. 

His belated attempt to stem the bleeding with a friendly interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC, and a radio interview in which the White House provided questions in advance, did little to assuage the public concern. 

Still, we should blame possible cognitive decline for Biden's debate performance, not his age. And perhaps we should blame those in his cabinet and the media who enabled concealment of the president’s apparent deficits. 

Editor's note: Alexander Roberts is a longtime contributor to lohud.com, The Journal News and the USA TODAY Network. This column is part of a regular, monthly series of columns titled The Roberts Report.