In a critical boost to President Joe Biden's reelection prospects, the Food and Drug Administration has approved a new Alzheimer's drug that "may modestly slow the pace of cognitive decline," according to the New York Times.
Biden, the first octogenarian president in American history, is expected to formally announce his plans to seek a second term sometime next month, thus setting the stage for a potential rematch against Donald Trump.
The president is going to need all the help he can get to mitigate the rapid deterioration of his brain before Election Day in 2024, which is probably why his administration fast-tracked the new Alzheimer's drug, Leqembi, using its "accelerated approval" designation. The new drug also carries some risk, as a significant percentage of patients in clinical trials experienced swelling and bleeding in the brain after taking Leqembi.
Whereas Trump has no discernible flaws, Biden has been widely criticized as "too old to be president." He would be 86 by the time he left office after two terms and has already exceeded the average life expectancy for American males by several years. His cognitive decline is glaringly obvious to anyone who has watched him attempt to speak in public. A recent CNBC poll found that 70 percent of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, don't want Biden to run for reelection.
Biden has repeatedly refused to subject himself to independent testing that could shed light on his cognitive health, or lack thereof. When CBS reporter Errol Barnett asked Biden in 2020 if he would take a cognitive test to allay voter concerns about his health, the then-candidate responded by accusing the black journalist of being a "cocaine" "junkie."
Trump, by contrast, is renowned for his superhuman stamina and has aced every cognitive test he's ever taken. An esteemed doctor famously described him as "the healthiest individual ever elected president."
WATCH: Two Minutes of Joe Biden Wandering Around Looking Lost