The Democrat Party is reportedly trying to reconcile that President Joe Biden, who turns 82 on Monday, is the leading Democrat candidate for the 2024 presidential election.
The Democrats’ fear about Biden’s age is predicated upon their worry that he will lose to former President Donald Trump next November.
“If you haven’t heard, the Democratic Party is full of anxious people right now,” Politico Playbook wrote Sunday, highlighting a series of stories about Biden’s age.
“Even those in Biden’s inner circle, including family members, worry about the optics of age,” Politico’s Elena Schneider, Holly Otterbein, and Jonathan Lemire said. “Those close allies believe that Biden is mentally up for the job, but some acknowledge that the president can at times appear frail, according to two people involved in the conversations but not authorized to speak publicly about internal deliberations.”
More than a dozen Biden supporters, fundraisers, strategists, Democrat officials, and donors told Politico they had “deep” concern that Biden’s campaign would have the ability to mask his mental state to voters. One strategy they claim could help Biden is to suggest Biden is wise, “leaning even harder into Biden’s age as proof of his wisdom in turbulent times.”
“They are pushing for more humor about ‘Grandpa Joe,'” they added.
Many worry about Biden’s physical challenges and suggest he do less physical movement in public. “People close to the president have discussed having him walk shorter distances while on camera,” the report said. “They’ve also advocated, at times, trading in formal shoes for more comfortable ones — both to make his stride seem less stiff, but also to reduce the risk of falls.”
Watch: Biden Appears Confused During Veterans Day Ceremony
C-SPANThe Washington Post’s Ashley Parker, Tyler Pager, and Michael Scherer also wrote an article about Biden’s age based on interviews with 30 Democrats inside and outside the campaign.
“The central concern is that Biden … has lost a step and is showing visible signs of aging. He has struggled to sell his economic accomplishments,” they wrote. “And there are worries that his campaign, so far devoid of major events or organizing efforts, is not doing enough to deal with the public hand-wringing over his chances or the coming threat of Trump, 77.”
In addition to Biden’s age, the Post’s reporters recounted two additional worries:
- “Some argue that neither Biden nor his team have effectively communicated a reelection plan, a second-term governing vision or a clear argument against Trump.”
- “Democrats have also expressed concern about the campaign’s thin operation in battleground states. Outside of pilot programs for organizing in Arizona and Wisconsin, the campaign has not built on the Democratic National Committee’s presence in key states or placed staff in any of the early primary states.”
Polling does not favor Joe Biden in a matchup with Trump. An NBC News poll and a Fox News survey found Biden’s popularity hit bottom. Only 40 percent of voters approved of Biden in both polls, the lowest approval rating of his presidency in the respective surveys.
Follow Wendell Husebø on “X” @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.
