[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] U.S. President Joe Biden, who is contemplating running for re-election two years from now, celebrated his 80th birthday on the 20th (local time). He is the first president in U.S. history to reach his 80s while in office.
According to Bloomberg News and others, President Biden held a brunch party at the White House hosted by First Lady Jill Biden, celebrating his birthday with family and close acquaintances.
President Biden’s 80th birthday draws even more attention as he deliberates on his 2024 re-election bid. Concerns about his age and stamina, and whether he can serve another four-year term as an octogenarian president, are mounting even within the Democratic Party. Earlier, President Biden stated he would make a decision by early next year, so it is highly likely that related discussions will take place within his family starting from this Thanksgiving holiday.
Recent major polls in the U.S. show that a majority of voters express negative opinions about President Biden’s age. In an Ipsos poll conducted in November, 70% of voters said he is "too old." Even among Democratic supporters, 59% agreed with this concern.
In the same survey, more than half of respondents also said that former President Donald Trump, a potential rival, is too old to serve as president. Trump, who recently announced his intention to run in the 2024 presidential election, turned 76 in June this year. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a leading Republican presidential hopeful, is 44 years old. Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House who recently announced she would step down from Democratic leadership, is 82 years old. She also stated, "It is time for a new generation to lead."
CNN mentioned that Ronald Reagan was 77 years old when he completed two terms and reported, "President Biden has occasionally made verbal slips and mistakes that have fueled concerns about his health and mental sharpness." Fox News also reported, "President Biden, the oldest president in U.S. history, has reached an important milestone on his 80th birthday while facing a crossroads where he must decide whether to declare his re-election bid within a few months," adding, "Some allies view Biden’s mistakes as vulnerabilities due to his advanced age."
Recently, President Biden has come under scrutiny for frequent mistakes, such as referring to Cambodia, the host country of the ASEAN summit, as Colombia. He is in a position where he must prove to voters that his cognitive abilities and overall health do not hinder his ability to perform presidential duties.
Moreover, President Biden’s approval rating remains just in the low 40% range. Although the Democratic Party performed better than expected in the recent midterm elections and successfully defended the Senate, the Republican-controlled House is expected to launch extensive investigations into issues such as his son Hunter Biden and the Afghanistan withdrawal. It is clear that the remaining two years of his term will not be easy.
Additionally, the recent decision by 80-year-old Speaker Pelosi to step back while mentioning a new generation is also expected to influence the thoughts of President Biden and Democrats. Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the University of Pennsylvania evaluated, "Pelosi’s recent decision highlights the question of whether there comes a time when one person must step aside to allow another to exercise leadership."
On the other hand, if President Biden solidifies his decision to run for re-election, the 2024 presidential election is expected to be a 'Biden vs. Trump' rematch.
The Washington Post (WP) published a separate article titled "The Era of Working Octogenarians" on the day of Biden’s 80th birthday, stating, "President Biden has set the record as the first U.S. president in his 80s, raising questions about how old is too old to serve as president," and reported, "Working octogenarians are not uncommon." According to WP, as of 2019, 6% of Americans in their 80s, or 734,000 people, were still working. This is a significant increase compared to the 1980s, when only 2.5% of the octogenarian population, or 110,000 people, were working.
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