Biden, 80, admits he “can’t even tell” his age when asked if he’s too old to run again – and says Trump needs to be defeated because he’s a “danger to democracy”.
- Biden, 80, brushes off concerns about his age
- He said “I can’t even say the number, it doesn’t register with me”
- He announced on Tuesday that he is seeking a second term
Joe Biden, who at 80 is the oldest president in American history, downplayed concerns about his age on Wednesday, saying “It just doesn’t register with me.”
And the president announced on Tuesday that he is seeking a second term in office and, if he wins, will be 86 when he leaves the White House. Some Democrats have expressed concern about Biden’s age and health, and have questioned whether Biden is their best bet as a candidate.
But Biden brushed off a question about his advancing years during a news conference with South Korean President Yoon Sun Yul.
He said, “In terms of age, I can’t even say — I think how old I am, I can’t even say the number, it just doesn’t register with me.” He added that he expected voters to take a hard look at it, and I will. I looked at her before I decided to run.
President Joe Biden, 80, is brushing off concerns about his age
His doctor declared him fit for duty, but Biden has shown signs of feeling his years: He sometimes walks with a limp, he has stumbled up the stairs on Air Force One, and he has made numerous verbal gaffes.
But next year, he’ll be on public display in a way it wasn’t during the 2020 election when he campaigned from Zoom meetings and at rare car rallies due to the risks of COVID.
The American people will see him regularly, interact with voters and show him fit to serve.
In his remarks on Wednesday, Biden is also running because Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination, is a “threat to democracy.”
He acknowledged that he “may not be the only Democrat” who could defeat Trump, but added: “I know him very well and I know the danger he poses to our democracy.
He said he would still run even if Trump wasn’t seeking a 2020 rematch.
“Yeah, I think I’d still run if he wasn’t,” he said. “I think we have to finish the job, nail it.”
He dismissed questions about his preferred rating, which was hanging in the low 40s, saying his predecessors had similar numbers.
He said, “I’ve noticed that the polling data I keep hearing about is my favorable rating between 42 and 46%, but everyone running for re-election at this time has been in the same position, nothing new about that.”
Biden, in his video announcement on Tuesday, echoed several of his 2020 campaign themes — including an emphasis on “the battle for democracy” — in a sign that Biden and his team believe Trump could be their challenger in the general election.
US President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Sok Yul hold a joint press conference in the Rose Garden of the White House
President Biden has said he will run for re-election even if Donald Trump (above) is not seeking re-election
Meanwhile, Republicans have questioned Biden’s age and health as the campaign heats up.
Some, like presidential candidate Nikki Haley, have called for candidates over 75 to take a cognitive test.
The Republican Party is also expected to use Biden’s age as a way to question Kamala Harris’ fitness to be Commander-in-Chief. She is expected to be a target in the election campaign, as American Republicans ask if they feel comfortable with her in the next order of the presidency.
Whether or not it will turn into a political liability – as some Democrats fear – remains to be seen.
