@Jim-from-Ohio   Here is the first sentence of that NY Times article.  Like many newspapers, they use "President," "Senator," "Ambassador," etc. on the first reference and "Mr." or "Ms." on subsequent references.  

"Former President Donald J. Trump was roughly an hour and a half into a nearly two-hour speech to the Detroit Economic Club on Thursday afternoon before he got to his main new policy proposal: a call to make car loan interest fully tax deductible."

Here are the first two sentences of another NY Times article the same day:

"Former President Barack Obama will headline a rally on Thursday in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, as Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign seeks to use one of her party’s most popular politicians to mobilize the Democratic base.

Unleashing Mr. Obama is a sign that Ms. Harris is moving her campaign into its highest gear with Election Day less than a month away and the presidential race exceedingly close."

And here is a sentence from an article earlier this week, which shows the whole "Mr." fixation is slightly ridiculous.

"Months before the assassination attempt, Mr. Crooks searched online for schedule information not only for Mr. Trump, but also for President Biden — then the Democratic nominee for president — and the national conventions for both parties."