President Roosevelt 1944 Reelection: Lessons for Joe Biden

There’s a tried-and-true method for a White House to deal with a seriously ailing president — lie about it.

The American public, of course, didn’t know the truth about Woodrow Wilson’s condition after his stroke, nor about the extent of JFK’s health difficulties. Meanwhile, FDR’s dire condition was kept from the public when he was running for a fourth term that he had no business attempting. He died 82 days after his inauguration.

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Rich Lowry

Rich Lowry is the editor in chief of National Review.

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Franklin Delano Roosevelt

There’s a tried-and-true method for a White House to deal with a seriously ailing president — lie about it.

The American public, of course, didn’t know the truth about Woodrow Wilson’s condition after his stroke, nor about the extent of JFK’s health difficulties. Meanwhile, FDR’s dire condition was kept from the public when he was running for a fourth term that he had no business attempting. He died 82 days after his inauguration.