President Joe Biden is the oldest president ever – can he actually complete a second term?
Right now, today. And now, with Biden about to dive headfirst into a reelection campaign, the president’s age is going to be a focal point of the upcoming election.
Biden’s age is going to have a profound effect on the 2024 election in two respects. First, voters are deeply concerned that Biden is too old to perform what is commonly understood to be the most difficult job on Earth. Second, Biden’s age is expected to limit his ability to campaign with the vigor of nearly all modern presidential candidates – which makes winning a campaign difficult, and will exacerbate pre-existing concerns about his age.
Voters are concerned with Biden’s age
Biden is too old to be president and the voters know it. And it’s not just the numeric age – 80 years old – miffing voters; it’s the perceived decline.
Biden has been in public office since the 1970s. So we’ve got decades worth of interviews and speeches and debates. And for the vast majority of those public appearances, Biden is entirely cogent. But he’s not anymore. He’s just not. And with decades worth of footage and transcripts to reference, the takeaway most voters have when they watch contemporary Biden try to articulate his thoughts is that the guy is sundowning. Forgive me for being insensitive but the guy is sundowning. And voters, naturally, have reservations about putting someone in office who is deteriorating in real time.
The crazy part is that if Biden were elected again, his second term wouldn’t even start until his 82nd birthday had passed. The term would extend beyond Biden’s 86th birthday. Which means Biden would need to live about a full decade beyond the US male life expectancy just to survive a second term. And if Biden were to survive, there’s still the issue of the sundowning. We’ve seen the difference in 70 year old Biden versus 80 year old Biden. What’s Biden going to look like after another 6 years of ageing/mental regression? Most voters don’t want to find out.
Then of course, voters who are worried about Biden’s ability to survive a second term, are naturally taking a close look at Biden’s VP choice – Kamala Harris – and aren’t really liking what they see. Harris is unpopular, and many voters are going to address the practical reality that a vote for President Biden has a high statistical likelihood of being a vote for a President Harris – a premise many voters want to avoid.
Joe Biden won’t be able to campaign properly
Biden benefited from the 2020 campaign being conducted amidst the coronavirus lockdown. The lockdown meant it was okay for the geriatric and fatigued Biden to sit at home and campaign via the occasional livestreamed appearance. 2024 won’t be like that. In 2024, Biden will have to get out and stump speech and shake hands and kiss babies and fly coast to coast. Anything less will make him appear flat, without the vitality necessary to lead the free world.
Biden of course would be referenced against whoever the Republicans roll out, likely Trump or DeSantis. Trump, for all his shortcomings, and despite his advanced age, is still vigorous – somehow churning through life with more energy and ambition than any other 70-something I’ve ever seen. And then you’ve got DeSantis who is only 40-something, a former college baseball player who is in the peak of his life.
Whoever runs, the 2024 candidate is going to demonstrate that Biden is too old to be President of the United States – and the voters will factor that reality into their decision.
Harrison Kass is the Senior Editor and opinion writer at 19FortyFive. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.
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