Elder abuse plagues 1 in 6 people 60 years of age and older, according to the World Health Organization.

It’s nice to see the WHO looking at real public health issues rather than pushing a “pandemic treaty” that would de facto make them king of the world.

The WHO definition of elder abuse includes “single or repeated acts causing harm or distress to an older person.” This includes “psychological and emotional abuse and serious loss of dignity and respect.”

Anyone watching the Joe Biden presidency, especially recently, culminating in his embarrassing performance in the June 27 debate against Donald Trump, cannot conclude that this was anything other than elder abuse.

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The debate began with Biden’s stilted walk to the podium, followed by half a minute of gibberish, and concluded with the inscrutable comment, “We beat Medicare.”

It only got worse, with Biden staring at the empty room devoid of audience, mouth agape, looking lost and pitiful.

What is remarkable is that this was Joe Biden at his best. He had over a week of debate prep, rest, and an unknown potpourri of medicinal cocktails designed to maximize his alertness, cognition, and appropriate behavior.

Imagine the normal Biden, his day-to-day persona, without all the above prep. Or, at his worst, which must be a regular occurrence due to travel, lack of sleep, and the demands of the presidency, even scaled back for him.

And we know how badly he performed at his absolute best, with friends, foes, media, and an international audience, including foreign adversaries, watching his 90-minute crash-and-burn session, side by side with a calm, cool, and presidential-appearing Donald Trump.

What are Putin, Xi, Kim, and Khamenei thinking? Or strategizing?

Should age be a factor or consideration for our elected leaders, especially the president? Biden is 81, Trump is 78. Both are old men.

So is Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, aged 82, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, aged 84. Both appear cognitively challenged, especially McConnell, who could be another Joe Biden.

Then again, Mick Jagger is 80 years old, Keith Richards is 79, and Ronnie Wood is 76. I missed them on their recent tour, but watch the Rolling Stones in action, Jagger skipping, prancing, and dancing across the stage, looking fitter than many men half his age.

The American president doesn’t ride into battle like Alexander the Great, so physical prowess is not essential. Instead, mental clarity, cognition, and judgment are far more important. After watching the debate, Trump is mentally light years ahead of Biden.

Physically, Trump is also far more vigorous. During the debate, he claimed to have recently won two club championships at his many golf clubs. Biden claimed to have a 6 handicap. Debate observers can decide which assertion is more likely true.

I doubt Biden could walk a single hole on a golf course without the assistance of his wife keeping him from wandering off into the woods and talking to a tree. Could Biden even handle a round of miniature golf?

Being president of the United States is probably the most consequential job in the world. So is being an airline pilot, charged with transporting hundreds of passengers at 500 miles per hour, six miles up in the air.

Pilots face mandatory retirement at age 65, air traffic controllers at age 56, and many state judges at 70. While the American College of Surgeons sets no age limit, they have concerns over “age-related deterioration” in surgeons after age 60.

For reference, the mean age of U.S. House members is 58 years, and U.S. Senators 65 years. U.S. Supreme Court justices range in age from 52 to 75 years.

Where does 82-year-old Joe Biden fit in? Should there be age limits on politicians? Or should they and their families realize when it’s time to retire?

Hunter Biden knew in 2019 that his father had dementia. Yet he encouraged his father to run for president. Dr Jill knew it as well, as did his advisors, handlers, and Democrat colleagues.

Hunter Biden’s psychiatrist, Keith Ablow, believed Joe Biden may have had dementia as far back as 2012 based on his performance in the vice presidential debate.

Is it abusive to prop up an elderly man with dementia, subverting the electoral system to place him in the White House as a president in name only? Not for the elderly man’s benefit but for control of America and much of the world?

Imagine Joe Biden’s distress, in his moments of lucidness, realizing his position and perhaps his inability to perform the duties of the job. Or is this full-on narcissism, Biden and his family believing, as did the media prior to the debate, that Joe is smart as a whip and a fully competent and capable president?

It's likely the latter scenario as Biden is channeling the late Tom Petty, who died at the relatively young age of 66 years, telling the world, “I won’t back down.” Biden and his handlers say, “Of course he’s not dropping out.”

Then again, a recent report from NBC News suggests a reality check of self-reflection for Biden:

Biden was described by one person familiar with his mood as humiliated, devoid of confidence and painfully aware that the physical images of him at the debate — eyes staring into the distance, mouth agape — will live beyond his presidency, along with a performance that at times was meandering, incoherent and difficult to hear.

Even narcissists can have moments of self-awareness. Perhaps Biden has “imposter syndrome,” which Psychology Today describes:

People who struggle with imposter syndrome believe that they are undeserving of their achievements and the high esteem in which they are, in fact, generally held. They feel that they aren’t as competent or intelligent as others might think—and that soon enough, people will discover the truth about them. Those with imposter syndrome—which is not an official diagnosis—are often well accomplished; they may hold high office or have numerous academic degrees.

Does Joe ever realize he is an imposter, undeserving of his current position?

The Alzheimer’s Society website describes those with dementia: “They may also have limited or no awareness of their symptoms and the difficulties they are having, even when these are obvious to those around them.”

What do White House staffers think? What if Joe doesn’t realize how bad he is and appears to the world? Who would put a family member in this position?

Talk about emotional abuse. Is his family clueless, or is this about their narcissism and living vicariously through their shell of a father and husband?

Even the now-left-wing Drudge Report ran this headline: “Cruel Jill clings to power.”

Is the presidency about Joe or an effort to protect the Biden Crime Family by controlling the justice system?

Shades of Eva Peron?

Is Joe aware of his obvious deficits? Imagine his loss of dignity, knowing he is not capable of doing his job, now the focus of memes and jokes in front of the world.

This fits the definition of “elder abuse” quite well.

Far left Cenk Uygur agrees:

Last night was elder abuse, and it was elder abuse by the entire democratic leadership, the DNC, and yes, sorry, but Jill Biden. If Jill Biden wants to run for president, she should do it. But, I mean, there’s no way that a loving spouse lets that happen and thinks, ‘Oh, great. Push him out there. Push him out there. We got this.’ You don’t have it. This is absurd.

Then there is the media, guardians of truth, asking the difficult questions, holding those in power to account. At least, that’s their delusional view of themselves.

Morning Joe Scarborough claimed just three months ago that this is “the best Biden ever.” He went on, “He’s far beyond cogent. In fact, he’s better than he’s ever been intellectually, analytically. Because he’s been around for 50 years.”

Eighty-two years, actually.

This is magical thinking. I wonder if Morning Joe wants to double down on his recent assessment after last Thursday evening’s debate. Talk about gaslighting.

Last Wednesday, and for the preceding decade, Joe Biden was sharp as a tack, brilliant, and more than capable as president. Yet late Thursday evening, Biden was a vegetable and had to go, according to virtually every previously sycophantic media outlet.

What changed in that one day? Not Biden. His debate performance was his normal behavior for many years, as any honest observer would attest.

Instead, the Democrat and media charade was over, plain for the world to see. The little boy announced that the emperor was naked. Now, the media and Biden’s enablers are in damage control and will soon spin this as if they knew of his declining mental status all along.

Special Counsel Robert Hur was far more honest than the mockingbird media. In his report, he “Described the 81-year-old Democrat’s memory as ‘hazy,’ ‘fuzzy,’ ‘faulty,’ ‘poor’ and having ‘significant limitations.’”

No wonder AG Merrick Garland adamantly refuses to release the actual interviews. Perhaps he is holding off until the Democrat establishment wants Biden gone in favor of a more palatable candidate.

Sure, Biden is old. So is Mick Jagger. But the latter can perform his job in exemplary fashion, the former not so much. Yet he continues, aided and abetted by his wife, family, handlers, fellow Democrats, and the sycophantic media.

This is elder abuse. If Biden’s (or his handlers’) policies and objectives weren’t so destructive to America and the world, one might feel sympathy toward Joe.

This is fraud on America, placing a puppet placeholder in the White House as a scapegoat for a far-left agenda of open borders, economic ruin, foreign wars, cultural rot, and weaponized government, destroying families, costing untold lives and treasure.

This is the real hoax, a true insurrection. We have a PINO – President In Name Only, clearly with dementia, used as a prop while an unelected and unaccountable cabal is running the country, contrary to the will of the people or the Constitution.

To those perpetrating this charade, shame on you. Have more respect for your husband, father, friend, and colleague. And for America.

Brian C. Joondeph, M.D., is a physician and writer. Follow me on Twitter @retinaldoctor, Substack Dr. Brian’s Substack, Truth Social @BrianJoondeph, and LinkedIn @Brian Joondeph.