Biden Forced To Address His Age

Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

President Joe Biden is currently the oldest man to have ever served as President. This has led to an increased number of questions and criticisms regarding his age.

A 2019 New York Times article following Biden’s presidential bid announcement introduced many of the questions regarding his age and further added that there were “few modern examples of a man of Mr. Biden’s age assuming the leadership of a Western democratic power.” Throughout his presidency, his age has also become a topic of contention for commentators and critics who have pointed to Biden’s gaffes in order to claim that he was not in a position to serve as the president.

When it comes to his age Biden, 80, has always had to defend himself, but with the looming question of whether or not he is going to seek reelection, as he approaches his 82nd birthday, Biden started joking about his age. This has widely been viewed as an attempt to change the narrative about him being unable to serve in office for a second term.

This month, Biden joked that he had served in the U.S. Senate for “270 years” before his presidential run.

In a speech to the International Association of Firefighters this week, Biden once again joked about his age and his receding hairline and gaffes pointing out an incident when he had called for a guest to take a seat despite there not being any available seats.

In his budget introduction, he also claimed that his age was a benefit as it could help him navigate Congress and retain control following the 2024 election.