The One Albatross Joe Biden Can’t Shake
Author: Greg Valliere
August 30, 2023
WE GET PERSISTENT QUESTIONS from readers about Biden’s mental acuity; he will turn 81 late this fall. We have talked with people who have been in meetings with Biden, who report that he’s on top of issues and is fairly sharp. But in public he frequently appears frail and halting.
THE ISSUE OF BIDEN’S AGE resurfaced this week when a new poll from the Associated Press showed that an astonishing 77% of Americans think he’s too old for another term. This new poll showed that 69% of Democrats think he’s too old to run.
DONALD TRUMP IS 77 YEARS OLD, but polls show little public concern about his age. Trump’s albatross, clearly, is his arrests and the prospect that that he will run for president while under indictment. Trump hasn’t shown any major sign of age-related deterioration, but likely voters in both parties want fresh faces.
LAST WEEK’S REPUBLICAN DEBATE highlighted some young talent: Vivek Ramaswamy, 38, Ron DeSantis, 44; and Nikki Haley, 52. All of them had modest polling increases after the debate, which has stimulated speculation that Trump may not be able to stay out of future debates.
IN WASHINGTON, AGE IS A MAJOR THEME, with a focus on elderly members of Congress. In the Senate, Dianne Feinstein is 90, followed closely by Sen. Chuck Grassley at 89 and Sens. Bernie Sanders and Mitch McConnell, both 81.
IN THE HOUSE, the oldest members are Reps. Grace Napolitano and Bill Pascrell, both age 86, Reps. Hal Rogers and Maxine Waters at age 85, Rep. Steny Hoyer at 84 and Rep. Nancy Pelosi at age 83.
THIS IS A DELICATE ISSUE, because there are plenty of people who are razor-sharp into their 90s — Alan Greenspan is active at 97 and Henry Kissinger is still a powerful thinker at the age of 100.
BUT BIDEN CLEARLY HAS LOST a step or two, and it’s becoming a major issue; in private, Democrats worry that he cannot possibly serve until the age of 86, when his second term would end. At some point the focus will shift to Kamala Harris, a prospect that also worries Democrats.
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