The marathon trip to Asia a few weeks ago aimed to show an energetic Joe Biden, following 80 meetings and dinners during the G20 in India, then in Vietnam. But we especially remembered the press conference in Hanoi in which he launched into a strange and interminable description of a John Wayne western to answer a question about… global warming. After twenty-five minutes, the president declared: “I don’t know about you, but I’m going to bed.” This clumsy quip, uttered by an octogenarian head of state, immediately reinforced the image of a tired grandpa that those around him would so much like to forget.
He avoids appearances before 10 a.m.
Is he too old to represent himself? This is the legitimate question that everyone is asking. The oldest president in history will be 86 at the end of his second term, if he is re-elected. Joe Biden is “healthy, vigorous” and shows no signs of senility, assures his doctor. Which does not prevent us from doubting it. The fact is that he is getting confused – he said Iraq twice instead of Ukraine recently – and is making more and more disjointed statements.
This is not new. A senator in the 1970s under Richard Nixon, he was already known for his blunders. Even more striking, he moves more slowly and with a stiff step. He had two much-publicized falls, one while cycling, the other in June during the Air School graduation ceremony, where he tripped on a sandbag. According to a recent book, he avoids apparitions before 10 a.m. We also noticed that he now used a staircase with lower steps to get on the Air Force One plane.
The Republicans who, for years, have done everything to present him as a dotty old man are taking advantage of this to redouble their attacks. “They are reduced to blaming his age because there are no scandals in this administration, apart from that of his son Hunter,” observes Danielle Vinson, professor of political science at Furman University. Their objective is “to scare voters by claiming that he will not last four years and will be replaced by Kamala Harris,” she continues. A tactic undoubtedly effective because the vice-president, more to the left than Biden, is a perfect target.
77% of Americans find it too old
It’s not just the Republicans. Famous Democratic columnist from Washington Post, David Ignatius says that despite the “admiration” he has for Biden’s record, it is time for him to withdraw from the race because of his age. An opinion shared by Americans: 77% find him too old to run again, according to a survey. Only a little more than 50% say the same thing about Donald Trump. Enough to exasperate the White House. Because the ex-president is only three years younger than his Democratic rival. He is also obese, according to doctors, does not exercise and also makes incoherent comments. He said he was ahead of Barack Obama in the polls and accused Joe Biden of “taking the country into World War II.”
So far, the president has responded to criticism by highlighting his action, his incessant travels… One of his advertising clips shows him on a surprise trip to Ukraine, with this slogan: “The quiet strength of a true leader”. He also practices self-deprecation. He talks about his 270 years of experience in the Senate, about his “good friend Jimmy Madison”, one of the authors of the Constitution in 1787. “In politics, appearance is reality, or, at least, part of it important part of it”, note William Galston and Elaine Kamarck, of the Brookings Institution.
The only way for Biden to show that he is “up to the task” is to increase his public appearances, they say. “If his opponent is Trump, the issue of age will be less important, because voters will focus on the programs, the indictments… If, on the other hand, it is someone younger, it will become a constant problem in the countryside”, estimates Danielle Vinson. In the meantime, the media continue to publish interviews with geriatricians on the merits of octogenarians and studies which give a 67% chance of an 82-year-old male living to be 86. But what about his intellectual faculties? The statistics don’t say anything about it.