Biden turns 81. Will it hinder his 2024 chances?

WASHINGTON (TND) — Monday marked another notable birthday in Washington as President Biden turned 81. But as he competes for another 4-year term in the White House, it’s prompting many to wonder if he’s both physically and mentally fit for another stint as president.

As he runs for reelection, murmurs about his ability are growing louder.

Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tried to quiet those concerns in Monday’s press briefing.

I would put the president’s stamina, wisdom, and ability to get this done on behalf of the American people against anyone, anyone, any day of the week,” she boasted.

It’s not just the actual age issue. After all, he may potentially have a rematch against former President Donald Trump, who would be 78 on Election Day himself.

Biden’s mental fitness is also being examined:

Less than a third of Americans think Biden is competent to do the job. And 64% say they’re worried about his “health and mental acuity.”

Should Biden win, he’d be 86 at the end of a second term. There’s no arguing that one of the most important jobs in the world takes a toll. The last two presidents to serve 8 years, George W. Bush and Barack Obama appeared noticeably different at the end of their tenure. Although there’s no way to know just how Biden would hold up after another 5 years on the job.

In the meantime, CNN reports Biden’s staff is trying to eliminate his gaffes and project vigor, getting him orthotics to help with his stiff gait and providing him smaller shorter stairs for boarding Air Force One.

Though pundits say, there’s a way Democrats should pitch it to voters.

Do they choose the president who aged into wisdom, empathy, or experience or Trump who aged into chaos, anger, and narcissism. That will be a big difference in how they think about age by the time we get to the election,” suggested Matt Bennett, a Democratic strategist and co-founder of ‘Third Way’.

Of course, that is still almost a year away and voters have yet to decide if it’ll be a septuagenarian-octogenarian showdown.