President Biden tried to change the narrative on his age during his State of the Union address Thursday night by leaning heavily into the idea that it has given him the wisdom to lead the nation for another four years.

Mr. Biden, 81, desperately needs to quell doubts about whether he can handle his second term as president. His age is his biggest political weakness, according to multiple polls.

A Morning Consult/Bloomberg poll released last week found that 8 in 10 voters in seven battleground states say Mr. Biden is “too old to be president.”

During his State of the Union remarks, Mr. Biden talked about growing up during World War II and being impacted by the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr..

Noting that he was elected to the Senate at age 29, making him the youngest person in that position in history, Mr. Biden drew a line to his experience as president.

“In my career, I’ve been told I was too young,” he said. “I’ve been told I’m too old. Whether I’m young or old I’ve always known what endures. I’ve known our north star, the very idea of America is that we are all created equally.”

“The issue facing our nation isn’t how old we are, it’s how old our ideas are,” Mr. Biden said.

• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.