Biden extols benefits of elderly presidency
US President Joe Biden has boasted that being an octogenarian has granted him “a little bit of wisdom,” and that he intends to stay in politics. However, polls show that more and more voters have their doubts about Biden’s mental and physical fitness.
Speaking at a Labor Day event in Philadelphia on Monday, Biden remarked offhand that some people say “you know, that Biden, he’s getting old, man.”
“Well, guess what?” he continued. “I can – the only thing that comes with age is a little bit of wisdom. I’ve been doing this longer than anybody, and I, guess what? I’m going to continue to do it with your help.”
Less than a week earlier, Biden became visibly confused during a visit to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters in Washington DC, asking an aide “where am I going now?” as he walked away from a lectern.
BIDEN: "Where am I going now?" pic.twitter.com/yLcDuXWHVx
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 31, 2023
Biden’s age and apparent cognitive decline have been repeatedly highlighted by Republicans and Democrats alike. According to a Wall Street Journal poll published on Monday, 60% of registered voters do not believe the 80-year-old leader is mentally up to the job of president, and 73% believe he is too old for the position.
Polls conducted since Biden took office have found similar results, and Biden’s presumptive opponent, former President Donald Trump, has claimed that the incumbent leader may not make it to next year’s election.
“I think he’s worse mentally than he is physically, and physically he’s not exactly a triathlete or any kind of an athlete,” Trump told conservative pundit Tucker Carlson last month. “You look at him, he can’t walk to the helicopter. He walks – he can't lift his feet out of the grass. You know it’s only two inches at the White House, right? That’s not a lot, but you watch him and it looks like he’s walking on toothpicks,” Trump continued.
Despite his relative acuity compared to Biden, Trump’s age is also a concern for some voters. The former president will be 78 by the time Americans head to the polls next November, and an NBC News survey in June found that 55% of voters have concerns about his physical and mental health.
Some 68% of voters said the same about Biden, up from 51% before the 2020 election. Notably, 43% of Democrats said that they had moderate to major concerns about Biden’s health, up from 21% in 2020.
