When Democrats needed to find someone to take on then-incumbent Donald Trump, they could have gone with someone younger, to appeal to younger voters. Instead they went with someone who would become the oldest U.S. president. Joe Biden has fared better than perhaps expected; after a bumpy first year and change, he rallied over the summer, even helping stave off a threatened GOP “red wave.” Still, his age is a big issue, especially as he’d be 86 by the time his potential second term ends. But there’s one person who doesn’t like dwelling on Joe Biden’s age: Joe Biden.
A new piece by Politico (in a bit teased out by Mediaite) examines the “eerily quiet” 2024 presidential race. Perhaps it’s a bit premature to be worried about the noise of an election day that’s still just under two years off. Nevertheless, the GOP already has two candidates: Trump (age: 76) and Kanye West. Neither campaigns are going well, at least not now. Right now, though, the Democrats technically have nobody, as Biden has not yet formally announced whether he was running or paving the way for someone younger.
Still, the age factor has reportedly grated on him, and he’s been known to vent to allies about people pointing out how spectacularly old he’d be by the time he’d start his second term, much less when he ends it. Earlier this year, he allegedly told one ally, “You think I don’t know how f*cking old I am?”
For the record, Biden has been pretty spry for an 80-year-old guy. His gaffes aren’t as voluminous as they could have been, and even that bicycle tumble over the summer wasn’t that bad. You know many seniors who can even ride a bike anymore? Still, even with the semi-recent appearance of “Dark Brandon,” it might be wise to let someone who wasn’t born before three years before microwaves were invented (in 1945, incidentally).