Even before he announced he was running for president in 2019, there were concerns about then-former Vice President Joe Biden’s age – and the fact that he would be 82 at the end of his first term. When Biden took office in January 2021, he became the oldest person to hold the office, and with each passing day, the record only increases.
Biden has already announced that he’ll seek reelection and thus be 86 at the end of his second term.
Current life expectancy in the United States is 77.28 years, and this is not the first time age has been seen as an issue. When President Ronald Reagan ran for a second term in 1984, questions lingered about whether he was up for the job given that he was 73 at the time. He was, at the time, the oldest person to hold the office.
There is the argument that age is just a number – one that cuts both ways.
True Elder Statesmen
Other former presidents have lived well into their 90s, and that includes Founding Father John Adams, who was 90 when he passed away, as well as recent former presidents Ronald Reagan who lived to 93, Gerald Ford who was also 93, and George H.W. Bush who lived to 94. Jimmy Carter is still alive at age 97.
Theodore Roosevelt was arguably one of the toughest men elected president, yet he died at age 60. That was due to the long-term effects of jungle diseases that he contracted during his time in Cuba during the Spanish-American War and later during his river expedition in South America.
By all accounts, Roosevelt was still mentally fit in his final years, as were Ford and Bush; yet the same sadly can’t be said of Reagan – who was formally diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 1994, five years after he left office. Reagan was 83 when he made the announcement to the American people, but there has been speculation he was suffering from its effects years earlier.
It is therefore not a surprise that similar questions are being raised about Biden’s mental state. This isn’t about ageism, this is a concern as to whether he is actually fit for the job.
Is Joe Biden Too Old?
This week, Becket Adams – an opinion contributor to TheHill.com – noted recent slipups that Biden has made, including stating Russia is at war with Iraq, mistaking it for Ukraine.
“They are simply the latest in a string of bizarre, confused and mostly unintelligible statements from Biden in the much longer string of bizarre, confused and mostly unintelligible statements that have come to define the Biden presidency,” Adams wrote, while further pointing out Biden’s claim to build a railroad across the Indian Ocean, or his odd statement “God save the Queen, man.”
Of course, former President George W. Bush made a similar faux pas last year, saying “Iraq” when he meant Ukraine – but did follow up by stating, “75,” a clear reference to his age.
Adams also suggested this isn’t just about whether Biden is fit to finish his first term, let alone serve a second one. He argued that the media largely has failed to have any debate regarding Biden’s mental acuity. He noted too that the question of Trump’s physical and mental health was routinely questioned for four years, while the late Senator John McCain’s age was certainly an issue when he ran for president in 2008.
Instead, there are the news stories that note that Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones are just months younger than Biden, while there are “rock stars” even older and they’re able to go out on tour or at least play a gig or two.
Again, age may be a number – and some people will be old beyond their years, and others will be rockin’ on stage well into their 80s. It will be up to the voters to make the final decision on whether they believe Joe Biden is mentally fit.
Author Experience and Expertise
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
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