Republicans' focus on Biden's age is a trap. Talk about his policy failures instead.

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I have a message for my fellow Republicans: Forget about Joe Biden’s age.

Obviously, his age matters. Even before his painful debate with Donald Trump and bumbling attempts to clean up that mess, it was clear he’s not capable of fulfilling the world’s most demanding job. But this election won’t be won or lost on whether Biden’s mind is failing. Victory or defeat for the Republican Party, which opens its national convention Monday in Milwaukee, will depend on whether voters understand that the Democratic Party’s policies are failing America.

By focusing on Biden’s age, Republicans are distracting from that all-important message. They aren’t talking as much about the massive inflation that’s still crippling families, the failure factories that are called public schools, the corporate welfare bonanza to the left’s green allies or the endless trillion dollar deficits that will destroy our economy. Nor are they consistently highlighting our nonexistent southern border and our nonexistent leadership on the world stage.

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Voters are looking for reasons to support GOP

The Democratic Party’s disastrous policies have already caused huge numbers of voters to look for an excuse to abandon Biden. They found that excuse in the frailty that has become more obvious by the day.

Voters see for themselves that the president is what you’d expect from someone who’s 81 years old. But they don’t need to be reminded of what’s obvious, because it’s obvious. Biden’s age will weigh on voters’ minds no matter what Republicans say, so there’s simply no need to harp on it.

And such harping carries dangers for the GOP if −perhaps when − Biden leaves the ticket. Whether that happens tomorrow or next month, Republicans will have spent huge amounts of time making an argument that’s no longer viable, while potentially undermining their own electoral viability. Republicans are at risk of giving Americans the appearance that age, not actions, should be the deciding factor in the voting booth.

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Biden replacement could reverse age argument

That’s not good if Democrats nominate someone who’s 50, 60 or even 70 years old. They could nominate someone who’s 75, and their candidate would still be younger than Donald Trump, who is 78. The focus on age could easily come back to bite Republicans, hard.

Where will voters go if Democrats end up nominating someone other than Biden? Or what if the president somehow miraculously demonstrates renewed energy and competence?

In either scenario, the voters who are now abandoning Biden are unlikely to stick with Trump, who’s the most unpopular Republican candidate in history. The only reason they’ll vote Republican is if they understand that their personal future and America’s future are on the line, which happens to be true.

Republicans should relentlessly and exclusively focus on the many massive problems that have arisen or worsened during the Biden years. But they also need to sketch out the solutions − the kind that will give voters confidence that the GOP will make things right.

When Republicans talk about the president’s record of inflation, they should promise to cut taxes and spending, all of which will help get price hikes under control. When they talk about crime and illegal immigration, they must promise to back law enforcement and secure the border. And when they talk about fixing our broken school system, they should promise universal school choice that gives families real freedom – the kind of freedom already sweeping many states. On issue after issue, the GOP stands for the policies that Americans want and that America needs.

Republicans already stand for all these things, but they aren’t forcefully making the case because they’re increasingly fixated on Biden’s age and infirmity. That may seem like a winning strategy now, but in the end, it won’t decide the November election. And complaining about a candidate’s age will never build the kind of broad and lasting support that Republicans ultimately need to pass their agenda of American renewal.

So, please, Republicans: Stop reminding Americans that Joe Biden is old. Start reminding them that Joe Biden has failed − and that you have the plan to help our country succeed.

John Tillman is CEO of the American Culture Project.