Joe Biden has turned 81 and has plans for a low-key celebration on Nantucket – as his administration deploys a “bubble wrap” strategy to prevent him from falling in public.
The president has repeatedly been questioned about his suitability for office. Polls and experts suggest this is a major problem with less than a year until the 2024 election.
When asked by The New York Times to respond to concerns about his age, the White House dodged and tried to rattle off a list of his accomplishments.
“Using President Biden’s decades of public service experience and strong relationships with leaders in Congress, he has passed legislation that has helped create more than 14 million jobs, reduce the cost of prescription drugs, improve America’s infrastructure and Investing in technology and leading to a stronger economy.” “Recovery in the developed world,” said Ben LaBolt, White House communications director.
But some of his co-workers still believe he needs to be protected and have devised a new strategy to prevent him from falling or getting lost on stage, as he has done several times.
President Joe Biden, the oldest commander in chief in American history, turns 81 on Monday and his administration appears poised to keep him in a “bubble wrap” strategy to prevent him from falling into the public eye again
Some described it as like wrapping the president in bubble wrap until November 2024 to ensure he doesn’t trip or fall in public again, as he did at the opening of the Air Force Academy in June.
Other current and former government officials vehemently disagree and urged him to campaign to “show his drive” and “bragging about his age rather than ignoring it.”
Veteran Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg is in the latter camp and says Biden should play even tougher on his age and experience.
“He was successful because of his age, not in spite of it,” Rosenberg said.
“We all have to support that because it’s true.” We can’t run away from the age issue.
“It will be an important part of the conversation, but we would be making a political mistake if we don’t contest it more aggressively.”
But John B. Judis, a longtime political strategist and author, said Biden’s age has made him seem less presidential.
“He doesn’t look or speak the part,” Judis said. “He is neither a commanding nor charming presence on the presidential or presidential campaign stage.”
Judis praised many of Biden’s legislative achievements, including infrastructure and combating climate change, but said his “public performance” has been poor.
President Joe Biden is helped back to his feet after falling during graduation ceremonies at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado in June. He fell while presenting diplomas to the cadets
The commander-in-chief stumbled, landed on the ground and was grabbed by his arms by cadets and Secret Service officers as he handed out diplomas in Colorado
“He’s doing well,” Ben LaBolt, White House communications director, tweeted afterwards. “While he was shaking his hand, there was a sandbag (pictured on the left) on the stage.”
“I think that many voters, particularly young people, who are not at all put off by his political positions or achievements, are put off by his complete failure as a royal figure,” Judis said.
“And I don’t know how to fix this. Not by bike. “Biden’s biggest hope in this regard is voters’ perception that Trump is a bad or even evil father who wants to destroy the family.”
The dismay over Biden’s age comes from the fact that poll numbers for the president have never been so bad.
A New York Times poll earlier this month shows Biden trailing Donald Trump in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania.
The poll of 3,662 registered voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin was conducted between October 22 and November 3. The margin of error for each state is between 4.4 and 4.8 percentage points.
According to the poll, Biden is only ahead by two percentage points in Wisconsin and is ahead of Trump among registered voters by four to ten percentage points in the five other states.
Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania were four of the states where the Democrat defeated then-President Donald Trump in his 2020 White House duel.
The same poll found that two-thirds of voters believe the country is headed in the wrong direction under Biden.
Biden has faced many doubts about his suitability for the office due to his age. Polls and experts suggest this is a major problem for the president as he is less than a year away from the 2024 election
The dismay over Biden’s age comes from the fact that poll numbers for the president have never been so bad
Only 37 percent of people say they trust Biden with the economy, compared to 59 percent for Trump – representing one of the biggest issue gaps, according to the survey.
Biden’s boasting about “Bidenomics” is also insufficient – only two percent said the economy was “excellent” during his time in office.
According to statistics, young voters under 30 prefer Biden by just a single percentage point – and men prefer Trump twice as much as women vote for Biden.
Voters of all income levels felt that Biden’s policies had hurt them personally (18 points disadvantage), while Trump’s policies had helped them (17 points advantage).
According to the data, Biden’s senile age of 80 also played a major role. 71 percent of pollsters – across all demographic groups – said he was “too old.”
In comparison, only 39 percent thought the 77-year-old Trump was too old.
Voters also preferred Trump over Biden on immigration, national security and Israel’s current Palestine by 12, 12 and 11 points respectively.
Biden’s appeal among Hispanic voters is now in the single digits, and traditionally Democratic black voters now support Trump at 22 percent.
Polls from the New York Times and Sienna Collage show Biden falling behind in five of the six key battleground states
“Gallup predicted President Obama would lose by eight points, but a year later he would win by a wide margin. “We will win in 2024 by putting our heads down and getting the job done, not by getting upset about a poll,” Kevin Munoz, a spokesman for Biden’s campaign, told The New York Times.
found Trump with a one-point lead over Biden in a hypothetical 2024 head-to-head poll of 1,000 voters.
A year before Election Day on November 5, 2024, Biden’s Gallup approval rating was 37 percent.
That’s less than his six immediate predecessors – Donald Trump, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George HW Bush and Ronald Reagan – over the same period.
Only Jimmy Carter, at 32 percent, was more unpopular than Biden with a year to go, and Carter lost in a landslide.
Biden has raised concerns about his age as he has recently made gaffes, been confused about how to leave the stage at events and has missed out on storytelling.