WASHINGTON, Jul. 5 (Sputnik) - Americans overwhelmingly believe the US president is too old to serve another term, but party donors may be the ones who decide the octogenarian politician’s fate.

Commentators on Russian television have noted the salience of the tale in recent weeks as most Democratic Party lawmakers remain unwilling to acknowledge President Joe Biden’s rapid deterioration in health as a stunning 86% of Americans voters now

The classic folktale, which has been translated into over 100 languages, tells the story of an egocentric ruler whose subjects are too intimidated by his power to point out his nakedness. Wishing to remain in the emperor’s good graces, the king's officials complement his fashionable new garment, with only a young child willing to point out he is wearing nothing at all.

Commentators on Russian television have noted the saliency of the tale in recent weeks as most Democratic Party lawmakers remain unwilling to acknowledge President Joe Biden’s rapid deterioration in health, while a stunning 86% of Americans voters now say the commander in chief is too old to serve a second term.

Biden himself acknowledged his troubling performance in last week’s debate with former President Donald Trump during a pre-recorded interview that aired Thursday.

“I had a bad night. And the fact of the matter is that, you know, I screwed up. I made a mistake,” the president said, speaking with a radio station in the swing state of Wisconsin.

Although the expression of humility is striking in US politics, observers still criticized the statement, noting that it cast the president’s apparent mental decline as something closer to a fleeting verbal gaffe or flub. Biden’s campaign strategists have again moved the goalposts, suggesting he can redeem his increasingly quixotic candidacy in the coming weeks with a series of “make-or-break” appearances on ABC News and other media platforms.

High-ranking members of the Democratic Party politburo, meanwhile, voiced continued support for the president Wednesday after an emergency White House meeting. Marlyland’s Wes Moore, Minnesota’s Tim Walz, and New York’s Kathy Hochul were among the state leaders claiming Biden is “fit for office,” while others such as California governor Gavin Newsom and Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer voiced support on the X social media platform.

But figures close to the president have suggested his family, and especially his wife Jill Biden, are his closest advisors.

“Joe Biden’s inauguration was an image in his mind,” read the prologue to author Franklin Foer’s recent biography of the longtime politician, describing his quest for presidential power. “It took hold there decades earlier, and it looked something like a brisk winter’s day, when the nation’s establishment huddled around him, wrapping its arms around the kid from Scranton. It was a triumphalist scene, but also a revenge fantasy, since Washington’s liberal elite had long rolled its eyes at him… The consistent underestimation of Joe Biden was his diesel. It propelled him to keep chasing the image, over the course of three presidential runs.”

“That is a description of Richard Nixon,” said political commentator Josh Ettinger, referring to the famously vengeful and paranoid US leader who struggled to remain in the White House during the Watergate scandal of the 1970s. The former head of state has become a metaphor in the US for presidential corruption and abuse of authority as he tenaciously clung to power.

For now, most Democratic leaders have stood behind Biden, seemingly remaining most concerned with their own career prospects in the party. Some Democratic Party lawmakers are reportedly drafting a letter calling on the president to drop out, threatening to keep the issue in the news in the coming weeks unless the effort is quashed by senior figures.

But ultimately, “wealthy donors” may hold the most power in America’s pay-to-play political system, admitted The New York Times, with “Democratic megadonor” and Netflix founder Reed Hastings recently becoming one of the most prominent figures to urge Biden to end his candidacy. Some $14.4 billion was spent during 2020’s presidential election as much of the United States’ campaign finance regulations have been struck down by a series of Supreme Court decisions.

Some moneyed interests are reportedly working behind the scenes to encourage the president to drop out. Until they do, the thoughts of 86% of the public will apparently remain irrelevant.

“It’s a big club,” remarked satirist George Carlin once, commenting on elite power in US politics. “And you ain’t in it!”