Tom Minear: What Joe Biden should learn from Scott Morrison

After the US President angrily denied he was an “elderly man with a poor memory”, Tom Minear argues there’s something he should learn from Scott Morrison.

In the final months of Scott Morrison’s prime ministership, his allies refused to believe what became painfully clear to them on the day of his defeat. Australians had made up their minds about Morrison – and they’d had enough.

Between his Hawaii holiday and the bungled vaccine rollout, an impression formed among voters that Morrison was arrogant and untrustworthy. Fairly or not, this became the dominant frame through which his actions were reported, heightening the attention on every smirk and stunt and hardening the opinions of those who wanted him to go.

By the time Morrison acknowledged he was “a bit of a bulldozer”, it was too late.

Scott Morrison’s downfall could offer a political lesson for Joe Biden. Picture: Supplied

It’s not too late for Joe Biden to confront the overriding perception of his presidency: that he is too old. But judging by the way his team responded to such criticisms last week, they are living in a similar parallel universe.

The decision not to charge Biden over his mishandling of classified files immediately became a story about the 81-year-old’s age, because special counsel Robert Hur reached the devastating conclusion that a jury would not convict an “elderly man with a poor memory”.

While Biden rarely holds press conferences, the White House hit back by sending him out in prime-time. “LFG,” one of his advisers posted on social media, meaning: “Let’s f***ing go.”

Biden responded defiantly to the special counsel’s report. Picture: Kevin Lamarque (Reuters)

Biden angrily defended his memory and said “I know what the hell I’m doing”, only to refer to the Mexican instead of the Egyptian president, prompting more negative headlines. His staffers berated the “deeply broken” media and highlighted similar mistakes by his rivals.

They have a point: the narrative about Biden’s mental acuity isn’t entirely fair. He has always been prone to gaffes, and fair-minded observers believe he is in command of the issues on his plate. But to ordinary Americans, he simply looks old.

Instead of demonstrating his vigour – Biden is even skipping the traditional pre-Super Bowl interview – his team hides him from scrutiny and then sends him out when he is angry.

Elections are a choice, and while Anthony Albanese was a small target, Donald Trump is the biggest. The President’s stumbles pale in comparison to his predecessor’s rap sheet.

But if Morrison’s defeat teaches Biden anything, it’s that denying your weakness won’t make voters forget it. Biden has to show Americans he is up to the job. Complaining they are wrong will only convince them they are right.

Originally published as Tom Minear: What Joe Biden should learn from Scott Morrison