This blog is not about cognitive impairment. It is not about cognitively in general. It’s about writing in that narrow slice of American political writing that rises to the surface only when one or both presidential candidates are of a certain age. When writing about a president or a former president we should take care no one pounces, growls, snarls, or makes a fool of themselves. When writing about executive leadership, authors must be informed. No guessing, speculation, or ideological bent.
Everyone ages normally. Everyone experiences cognitive changes. How much varies from one “older” person to another. Today’s neurological science confirms that slow, age-related cognitive decline starts around twenty-seven for healthy and well-educated people. The keywords are cognitive aging, early adulthood, and normal aging.[1]
The essential elements of cognitive aging are reasoning, problem-solving, and the ability to maintain the thread of a conversation. They get harder with age but not so much that it impairs what neurologists consider “normal” functioning.[2] When writing about presidential candidates, whether at the top of the ticket, or down the ballot, writers should focus on the candidates moral reasoning, judgment, their capacity for compassion and empathy.[3]
The 2024 presidential candidates have never been older than in this cycle. They both will face voters who will be sixty years younger than they are. A large percentage of voters this year will be sixty or older when they vote. In 2022, 77.9 percent of voters were between 65 and 74 voted.[4] They all likely had some of the age-related fumbles and word drops that both this year’s presidential candidates have.
President Biden’s poor debate performance in June 2024 caused political unrest leading some lawmakers and most political commentators to insist he take a cognitive test to illustrate his mental capacity. He said he had already taken three “significant and intense” neurological exams, one as recently as February. He added that being president is its own daily cognitive test.[5] Former president Donald Trump claims he passed a cognitive test before the presidential debate.[6] He said he took it in 2018 with Dr. Rodney Jackson.[7]
The question before the American electorate is whether one or both candidates are “too old” to be president. From an ethical perspective, the question is fraught with risk. Political ethics requires leaders to meet higher standards than would be necessary for private life. Senior executives in both state and federal government have less of a right to privacy than ordinary citizens do. They have no right to use their office for personal profit. Personal or private morality and political morality are often viewed as a conflict of interest.[8]
In presidential elections, the policy issues are vital because they impact vast numbers of citizens and the safety and efficiency of the country. This alone requires voters to factor in the candidate’s personal moral values into public morality. They include abiding by the rule of law and maintaining respect for the office they hold. Private citizens have their own personal beliefs and morals, but public officers and leaders are ethically bound to respect others’ beliefs and advocate for the beliefs of their constituents while following the law and constitution.[9]
Writing about whether age begets cognitive impairment raises fundamental ethical obligations. There are at least five ethical imperatives in the upcoming presidential election: Independence, Transparency, Integrity, Competence, and Fairness.”[10]
Those five ethical imperatives are far more important than the current dust-up over age. Political writers can divert attention away from ethics by focusing on age. But that is what politics is all about—diversion and seasoning.
One question seems obvious—why the focus on cognitive impairment to the exclusion of ethical impairment? While they are three years apart in age, they are ages apart in ethical standards.
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2683339/#
[2] https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/06/health/biden-debate-cognitive-tests/index.html
[3] https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/profile/john-w-rowe-md
[4] https://www.statista.com/statistics/999919/share-people-registered-vote-age/
[5] https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2024-07-12/calls-grow-for-biden-to-take-a-cognitive-test-what-to-know
[6] https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4769304-donald-trump-joe-biden-cognitive-testing-2024/#:~:text=The%20former%20president%20has%20also,Montreal%20Cognitive%20Assessment%20(MoCA).
[7] https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2024/07/12/trump-offers-to-take-cognitive-test-with-biden/
[8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_ethics#
[9] Mendeluk, Paulina (2018-06-29). “Public Sphere and the Political Morality in a Liberal Democracy”. ISSN 1221-1273.
[10] https://www.governing.com/gov-institute/voices/col-5-principles-integrity-election-administration.html
I am an author and a part-time lawyer with a focus on ethics and professional discipline. I teach creative writing and ethics to law students at Arizona State University. Read my bio.
If you have an important story you want told, you can commission me to write it for you. Learn how.
I am an author and a part-time lawyer with a focus on ethics and professional discipline. I teach creative writing and ethics to law students at Arizona State University. 
My latest novel is Hide & Be. 
If you have an important story you want told, you can commission me to write it for you. 