As I watched last week’s presidential candidate debate between President Biden and former President Trump, I was immediately aghast at how Biden appeared and spoke.  From his faltering entrance gait and at virtually every point, he displayed obvious signs of mental fog.  The optics clearly bespoke weakness.  As a long-time and dedicated member of the Democratic Party, I realized with sadness that much of our President’s true condition had largely been deliberately shielded from me and millions of supporters.  I and other staunch Democrats often literally fly the flag in the downtown square, receiving many positive reactions but also facing off against fuming MAGA supporters. 

My bona fides as a Democratic Party grass roots worker and financial contributor for 45 years are well established.  Campaigner for Presidents Carter and Clinton; Communications Chairperson and member of the Georgia State Democratic Executive Committee for many years, and former nominee for State Senator in Georgia.  Now as Precinct Captain for my Florida County Democratic Party, I recently completed my training for district canvassing and began planning my route to again walk door-to-door all summer, to ensure all are registered to vote in my district.

During my diplomatic career in the U.S. Foreign Service, I continued doing all I could to protect and defend the Constitution to which I swore to defend (for the second time–the first being when I entered the U.S. Army).  I proudly embraced the leadership and successes of my boss Barack Obama.  But working for four years under the presidency of Donald Trump and his two hapless Secretaries of State, my tasks became extremely fraught and frequently I had to find artful ways to explain to my foreign audiences in the Middle East and Latin America Trump’s outrageous lies, misogyny, bigotry, immorality, and diplomatically destructive behavior which in no way represented “American values”.

President Biden’s performance in the debate was shocking and disheartening, as I imagined the increasing dangers of another four-year term, for–unlike fine wine–the human brain and body do not improve with age. My mother lived to be 100 years of age, and I know mental decline when I see it. His prior gaffes and present confusion has forced me to reckon with dread the now more heightened possibility of a second Trump administration, which has already promised to be a dictatorship replete with revenge, judicial tampering, violence, and anarchy.

In the ensuing days since the debate, I hoped that Biden’s team and more party leaders would immediately encourage him to set aside his ego and gracefully make space to allow one of the many extremely qualified and adept Democrats to replace him as the eventual nominee.  My anger has, therefore, mounted each day, as Biden has attempted to explain away his frequently feeble presence unless positioned between teleprompters.

I have no doubt that I will vote for President Biden if he becomes the nominee, for the other candidate promises only chaos and moral disintegration.  I will continue to canvas potential voters and again fly my Biden-Harris flags at downtown rallies.  I send an independent and heartfelt plea to you, President Biden: step aside now, hold proud the myriad accomplishments of your first term, and support your successor and our nation to continue a legacy of law and order, decency, and promise!

Elliott, who retired in 2021 from the U.S. State Department, was a senior regional policy advisor and Bureau spokesperson. He presently resides with his family in Ocala, Florida.