President Joe Biden, 81, reportedly shifted tactics in recent days to overcome one of the greatest hurdles of his reelection campaign: “the age issue.”
Biden and his aides seek to shed his oxygenation demeanor heading into the 2024 election. Polling shows Americans are skeptical of his physical and mental abilities:
- A majority of Democrats are “concerned” about Biden’s ability.
- 55 percent say Biden’s health and age “severely” limit his ability to do the job.
- Registered voters have “major” concerns about Biden’s age and health.
Aides in recent months pleaded with Biden to make a “series of subtle shifts” to show “he still has the vigor to serve another term,” multiple people familiar with the conversations told NBC News. The shift in tactics reportedly includes speaking informally, unannounced campaign stops, more social media posts, and fewer neckties.
Biden was initially resistant and “dismissive” of the changes, but to signal a “more youthful” image “than his 81 years might suggest,” the president adopted them, aides told NBC News:
One of the changes will be on display Friday when Biden travels to Pennsylvania. He plans to ditch his usual format of delivering a prepared speech to an assembled audience and to instead make a series of stops at smaller venues, according to the White House. The format, aides say, allows Biden to engage more organically, and directly, with voters.
But aides say another key factor has been Biden’s own view of the presidency. While he embraced an informal public approach as a senator, vice president and even a presidential candidate, Biden’s inclination since he entered the White House is to always appear “presidential,” aides say.
The shift in tactics appears to be a part of a larger strategy. Before the holidays, Biden tried to soothe the fears among donors about his age, energy level, and chances of defeating former President Donald Trump, three sources told the Washington Post Wednesday on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations: “Biden has held roughly a half-dozen meetings, in groups ranging from four to eight people, since he launched his campaign in April, but many of them occurred just before the holidays, the people said.”
It is unclear if Biden’s strategy will work. When he speaks, he often mumbles. When he finishes remarks, he often appears to wander off stage. Cameras catch the imagery, and it goes viral on social media.
Biden finds it difficult to stay upright. Just in 2023 alone, he tripped, tumbled, and stumbled at least five times in public view.
AP Photo/Evan Vucci, BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP, SAUL LOEB/AFP, ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images
According to his annual physical examination conducted in February by physician Kevin O’Connor, Biden suffers from atrial fibrillation, peripheral neuropathy in his feet, and hyperlipidemia. After the diagnosis, Biden began boarding Air Force One’s second, shorter staircase, presumably to remain on his feet, since many of his trips and falls involved tall plane stairs.
U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden board Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on December 27, 2023 (Mandel NGAN/AFP).
Biden also struggles with anger outbursts when peppered with unwanted questions — especially questions about the Biden family corruption.
The president’s history of anger flashes is a common feature among elderly males with senility, according to Tucker Carlson. “Uncontrollable flashes of anger are common among people who are aging, particularly among men, and they often accompany senility,” Carlson previously explained. “Losing it is a very frustrating experience and your heart goes out to anyone who is.”
U.S. President Joe Biden gives remarks a the DNC Winter Meeting at the Washington Hilton Hotel on March 10, 2022, in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Throughout Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign and into his presidency, he used anger in an attempt to dispel questions he did not want to answer. He leveraged his defensive anger at least five times when questioned about his family’s business dealings, the Republican National Committee found.
Videos of Biden’s anger outbursts are here. Videos of his stumbles and tumbles are here.
Wendell Husebo is a political reporter with Breitbart News and a former GOP War Room Analyst. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality. Follow Wendell on “X” @WendellHusebø or on Truth Social @WendellHusebo.
