Former President Donald Trump says that “life begins at 80,” dismissing claims that attribute President Joe Biden’s job performance to his old age. It comes as
Democrat polling shows Biden’s age is undermining his leadership and can cost his reelection chances in 2024.
Trump, 76, wrote on his social media start-up Truth Social on July 10: “President Biden is one of the oldest 79s in History, but by and of itself, he is not an old man. There are many people in their 80s, and even 90s, that are as good and sharp as ever.”
“Biden is not one of them, but it has little to do with his age,” he continued. “In actuality, life begins at 80!”
His remarks followed a poll published by the
New York Times in conjunction with Siena College, finding 64 percent of Democratic voters said they would prefer a new party’s presidential nominee in 2024, not Biden. 33 percent of them cited the president’s age as their main concern, according to the poll.
Early this year, a national Quinnipiac University
poll shows voters nationwide gave Biden a job approval rating of 33 percent, driven by concerns over the economy, foreign policies, and COVID-19 handling.
The White House didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
Biden’s cognitive state has been in question given his so-called gaffes—both before and after taking office—have triggered officials to walk back on his comments shortly after. On March 26, Biden made a comment amid the Ukraine crisis saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power,” causing confusion as to whether the United States was seeking to topple the Russian regime.
The president had also conducted fewer unscripted interactions with the news media as of nearly his first full year in office, compared to any of his six most recent White House predecessors at the same point in their presidencies, the
Associated Press reported, citing an analysis by Martha Joynt Kumar, a longtime scholar of presidential media strategy.
The president did 22 interviews during the time with the media and held nine formal news conferences. Trump, who regularly pilloried the media, did 92 interviews in his first year in office.
Under his age issue, last month, the news of Biden
falling off his bicycle during a ride near his Delaware home became one of the top stories of the time, although the president appeared to be uninjured and the White House said medical attention was not in need.
Biden is turning 80 in November. Yet the 79-year-old commander in chief was already the oldest president in U.S. history when he beat Trump last January and was sworn in as the 46th president. The president has repeatedly floated the
possibility of a second run in 2024, which would see him at his 86 at the end of the term.
Trump, who is four years younger, has teased another run for the presidency, despite not formally announcing plans. The former president will be 78 on Election Day 2024.
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