Americans Deserve to Know Where the Candidates Stand on the Most Pressing Public Health Crisis of Our Time

Washington, DC (June 24, 2024) — As President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump prepare to take the stage for Thursday’s presidential debate, they must address an important question: How will they tackle Alzheimer’s, the most pressing public health crisis of our time?

Nearly seven million Americans aged 65 and older live with Alzheimer’s, and millions more are unpaid caregivers. This disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, creating an urgent need for the next president to prioritize finding a cure for Alzheimer’s and related dementias.

Accordingly, here is a question both Biden and Trump should answer seriously and thoughtfully, leaving the politics of ageism out of the equation:

"About half of Americans report having a friend or family member with dementia, and around one in three Americans are caregivers for someone with the disease.  How would you address the challenge that this brain disease poses to so many American families?"

This is not a niche issue. More than half of all Americans know someone affected by this disease. We hope the debate moderators and the candidates will not shy away from this issue and will engage in a thoughtful discussion on how our nation can end it.