Karl Salzmann of the Washington Free Beacon reports on preparations for the president’s next birthday.
President Joe Biden will turn 80 on Nov. 20, causing “trepidation in the West Wing” and a plan to downplay the celebration, Politico reported Tuesday.
The president’s allies are worried about “storylines surrounding his age,” which they see as a “sensitive topic,” prompting the White House to try to “downplay the birthday.”
Biden, the oldest person ever elected president, is facing intense criticism over his mental fitness. While giving a speech on Sept. 28, he called out for a congresswoman to stand up. The congresswoman had died two months before.
The president, who has appeared disoriented on many occasions, has also “visibly aged since his time as vice president,” Politico noted, leading many Democrats to wonder if Biden is too old for his job.
Biden has said he will run again in 2024. At the end of a second term, he would be 86 years old.
Speculation about the president’s age has led Democrats to panic about their chances with Vice President Kamala Harris, who is facing accusations of workplace abuse and whose popularity numbers are even lower than Biden’s.
“Kamala Harris can’t win,” one Capitol Hill Democrat told New York magazine.
It’s the latest bit of bad news for the president, who is already viewed as a negative factor in Democratic U.S. Senate races.
While the Democrats are in trouble in the House races, they’re also having a difficult time in the Senate races. One of the reasons is the unpopularity of Joe Biden. We’ve seen members of Congress trying to duck appearing with him because they know that he’s still largely poison.
Take Democrat Cheri Beasley in the Friday night debate for the North Carolina Senate seat with Ted Budd. She does all she can to avoid answering that specific question about Biden.
