Joe Biden, the oldest ever US president at 80 years old, has addressed concerns about his age in relation to his potential 2024 re-election campaign. During a press conference on Wednesday, Biden acknowledged that it was normal for people to ask questions about his age, which is a matter of overwhelming concern for voters. An NBC News poll found that 70 percent of Americans believe he should not run in 2024, with 69 percent citing concerns over his age as a major or minor reason. Despite this, Biden said he was confident about what is likely to be a grueling election battle, all while working in one of the world’s most demanding jobs.
Biden tried to joke about his age, saying “I can’t even say I guess how old I am. I can’t even say the number — it doesn’t register.” However, his Republican opponent is likely to use his age against him and voters are not laughing. If re-elected, Biden would be 82 when he took office for a second term in January 2025. The previously oldest president was Ronald Reagan, who was 77 when he completed his second term in 1989.
Biden seems driven to keep going not just because that’s what first term presidents always do but from a sense of historic mission to stop Donald Trump from coming back. Trump is currently the overwhelming frontrunner for the Republican nomination, despite being the subject of multiple legal cases and his role in trying to overturn the 2020 election. When Biden challenged Trump in 2020, the Republican savaged him over his age, deriding him as “Sleepy Joe” and offering up crude insults about his mental state. The attack will certainly return, likely in new intensity, if Trump wins his party nomination.
Biden believes that he knows Trump well and that he knows the danger he presents to democracy. He may not be the only person who could defeat Trump, but he is confident in his ability to do so.
