Democrats and most of the American press have long avoided the topic in disgust, but the age taboo of Joe Biden, 79, is now starting to break in his party.
As the US president, the oldest ever elected, departs today for what is sure to be a grueling diplomatic tour of the Middle East, the debate is heating up, especially given his declared intention to run for office again in 2024.
“He’s capable of being president today. But he’s too old for the next election,” was the judicious jab of a columnist in The Atlantic on June 16, though the piece also raged against Republicans who argue that Mr. Biden has dementia.
The US president will celebrate his 80th birthday on November 20. He would be 82 when a possible second term begins; he would be 86 at the end of it.
His age “has become an uncomfortable issue for him and his party,” the New York Times noted on Saturday, describing a White House that has become extremely protective, when not consumed by anxiety, on the issue.
A poll published yesterday Monday by the same newspaper shows why: 64% of Democratic supporters would prefer another candidate in the 2024 presidential election, which he justified by citing the… age of the current president (33%), a criterion he assesses as more important than his performance in the White House (32%).
Like his predecessors, Joe Biden is called upon to handle grueling tasks, from the war in Ukraine to skyrocketing inflation, from the rulings of the now-radically conservative Supreme Court to mass shootings.
“Flourishing”
Many younger Americans would envy his health report released last November: he is a “thriving” man with mild reflux and arthritis problems.
But his appearance betrays the heavy price that the office carries. His white hair is thinning, his step is becoming more and more cautious. Sometimes he loses his cool, seems to trip over something he’s reading on his teleprompter. The stammer he had overcome as a child occasionally reappears.
Several times, the White House has had to backpedal on what appeared to be ill-timed or impulsive positions on delicate diplomatic issues.
The current president is giving fewer press conferences and fewer media interviews than his predecessors. He seems to prefer articles published in newspapers, the content of which is thoroughly vetted.
On the weekend, he disappears to one of his two homes in Delaware. Often, for two to three days, White House correspondents only see him once, from a distance, as he goes to church.
During the recent G7 meeting, in the so-called family photo, supposedly more relaxed, it was impossible to ignore the gap between Joe Biden, the oldest member of the group, and Justin Trudeau (50) or Emmanuel Macron (44 years).
Pedals backwards
In Saturday’s New York Times, his entourage vigorously defended him. On the plane, “he spends hours making plans for domestic policy issues, when much younger people want only one thing, to sleep,” assured Mike Donilon, a White House adviser.
The American president, after the fall he suffered while cycling on June 18, which was nothing serious but was commented on a lot, chose – therefore – to get back on the saddle on Sunday and joked about his fate with journalists.
Joe Biden, moreover, is far from being an exception. Many figures in American political life have long since turned 70, starting with former President Donald Trump, 76 today.
A potential candidate in 2024, the Republican is well aware that this debate is a minefield and has attempted to defuse it through the social networking site he created, Truth Social: “A lot of people over 80 and even over 90 are quadriplegic than before. Biden isn’t, but that’s not so much to do with his age. In fact, life begins at 80!”
The youth
Beyond the health issue, the challenge is also political: how can a president born during World War II feel the pulse of America’s youth?
How can he meet the expectations of the young protesters who, on Saturday, expressed their anguish and anger in front of the White House after the repeal of the right to abortion at the federal level? Asked about the issue last Sunday, Mr Biden didn’t really have an answer: “Keep protesting. Keep making your voice heard. It’s extremely important.”
According to the New York Times poll, just 5% of 18-29-year-old voters who took part in Democratic caucuses would like the party to renominate Joe Biden for president in 2024.
But who else? Neither format seems to be imposed, for now at least, on the president’s party. Political commentators express several doubts about the chances of Vice President Kamala Harris (57 years old), who is considered the natural candidate in case of Mr. Biden’s withdrawal.
Some of the party’s new guard are already making sure to seek more media exposure. Like for example the Governor of California Gavin Newsom (54 years old), or the Minister of Transportation Pete Buttige (40 years old).
Source: Capital
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