The Gist Not Even Mad: Eli Lake, Michael Cohen on Biden's Health, and the New Human-Rights-Free Foreign Policy
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May 21, 2025 
Eli Lake, a veteran foreign affairs expert and host of the Breaking History podcast, is joined by Michael A. Cohen, an MSNBC columnist and senior fellow at Tufts. They tackle the debate over Biden's health, questioning the media's portrayal and pushing back against narratives of decline. They dive into Trump's foreign policy, critiquing its lack of human rights consideration. Will this pragmatic approach spell recklessness? Both guests share insights on electoral strategies for Democrats while humorously dissecting the political landscape ahead.
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Problem Diagnosis Wins Elections
- Winning elections requires diagnosing problems clearly, not just solving them.
- Democrats often err by focusing on problem-solving before problem description, unlike Republicans.
Presidential Health Impacts Leadership
- Biden's health concerns matter because the presidency demands constant, clear cognitive function.
- Some doubt whether Biden was truly in charge, unlike Trump who shows consistent incoherence.
Unequal Scrutiny of Cognitive Decline
- Trump exhibits incoherence indicating dementia, yet faces less concern than Biden.
- Cohen criticizes focusing solely on Biden's health while Trump shows worse cognitive deficits.
