There are always a few with fraudulent birth certificates

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The 39-year-old James beat a rookie nearly half his age off the dribble, blew past another young, spry athlete and powered up for a strong attack on the rim. He drew the foul and, punctuating his spectacular night, swished a pair of free throws to give the Lakers the win, 145–144. James’ 36 points, 20 rebounds and 12 assists in nearly 48 minutes indicted his birth certificate for fraud. (Marcus Thompson II, “Lebron James vs. Stephen Curry is Still the NBA’s Best Theater.”

81-year-old Joe Biden

In 2016, 71-year-old Donald Trump brushed aside Republican Presidential challengers like they were fleas. Fifteen were squashed until only Ted Cruz was left. Poor “Lying Ted.” It wasn’t pretty. He was 45. (source)

Seasoned, at 69, Hillary Clinton lost a close contest.

In 2020, incumbent Trump faced no in-party challengers.

Chomping at the bit, twenty-nine Democratic Party Presidential wannabes approached the starting line. (source)

Experienced, at 77, Joe Biden beat them all. He then selected one opponent, Kamala Harris (55), as Vice President and another, Pete Buttigieg (38), as a member of his cabinet.

After defeating a sitting President by 7 million votes with the largest popular vote total in American history. (source)

In 2024, 77-year-old Mr. Trump will coast to the Republican nomination again, beating much younger opponents. Only Nikki Haley, 52, remains at this writing.

To face off with the 81-year-old incumbent.

80-year-old E. Jean Carroll

In addition to President Biden, Mr. Trump will confront other opponents this year. You can read a summary of the criminal and civil cases against the former President here.

Trump rarely loses in court. He’s been sued over 4000 times. (source)

But he has been beaten soundly twice in the past year by E. Jean Carroll, 80, a woman he sexually abused 30 years ago. Thanks to Ms. Carroll, Trump has been legally outed not only as a sexual predator but as a liar. (source)

What does age have to do with beating Mr. Trump?

If age has in some ways been a hurdle for Ms. Carroll to overcome in this case, I’d like to think that it was also age that let her see it through to this conclusion. That it was age and wisdom and the confidence that comes along with it that allowed her to make the genuinely audacious claim that an 80-year-old woman still has good, creative, vivacious, maybe even profitable years ahead of her.

“I couldn’t have done it back then,” she once told me, of coming forward sooner. “I didn’t have the guts.”

But now? “It was just time. It was time,” she testified.

This is an excerpt from Jessica Bennett’s New York Times article “The Audacity of E. Jean Carroll.”

Age can bring wisdom and courage.

Joe Biden ran for the American Presidency two other times, in 1988 and 2008. When he announced a third run in 2019, he said Trump’s reaction, there are good people on both sides, to the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, VA, in 2017 was the deciding factor. (source)

We are in the battle for the soul of this nation. If we give Donald Trump eight years in the White House, he will forever and fundamentally alter the character of this nation, and I cannot stand by and watch that happen.

Rebecca and I have just returned from four weeks in San Miguel, Mexico. The beaten-down white Volkswagon Beetle in the photo was parked in a different location outside our apartment every day. It was driven by someone who had a food stand in the park across the street.

It looks its age, has experienced every conceivable road condition on the cobbled streets of San Miguel, and is still running after many of its contemporaries reside in landfills.

Even Lebron James will someday be too old to play in the NBA. The average age of an NBA player is 28. Most retire before they are 30.

James is an exception.

His declining physical skills are more than matched by the experience and wisdom culled from 20 NBA seasons.

The same is true for the two people who have proven Donald Trump can be beaten.

They were the right people at the right time.

Because Mr. Trump must be beaten.

Will be beaten.

Again.