On November 1, 2020, Joe Biden promised on Twitter, “I’ll end Donald Trump’s chaos.” Three and a half years later, perhaps the central challenge facing Biden’s reelection is the specter of incapacity. Five I’s—international instability, immigration, identity, and inflation—have given voters a sense that disorder has grown under the 46th president. ...

Perhaps sensing these dangers, Biden challenged Trump to two debates yesterday—a challenge  quickly accepted by the former president. The first face-off between the two men is scheduled for June 27. Biden’s team may calculate that a precedent-breaking, early-summer presidential debate could be a chance to reset the campaign narrative by showing him as feisty, assertive, and in charge. A majority of respondents in the New York Times poll said that they wanted a president who could help bring Washington “back to normal.” For a president who campaigned on restoring normalcy, that’s a troubling number. November will tell us whether it’s politically fatal.