President Biden wants to stay in office until he’s 86, but a spate of struggles during recent public appearances ranging from forgetting answers to stumbling over sentences have amplified concerns that he is too old for another term.
Mr. Biden, who at 80 is already the oldest president in U.S. history, would be 86 if he completes a second term. His age is one of his biggest vulnerabilities as he kicks off his reelection bid.
An NBC News poll released last month found that 70% of adults said Mr. Biden should not run again. Asked if age was a factor, 69% said yes. Other recent polls revealed similar results. A March Yahoo News/YouGov poll showed that 48% of Democrats think Mr. Biden is too old for another term.
Republicans have pushed the issue, releasing videos of his struggles to find his words and articulate his thoughts, suggesting it reflects a cognitive decline.
They have also targeted Vice President Kamala Harris, arguing that if Mr. Biden can’t complete his second term, she would become president. That could be a real problem for the Democrats because of her high disapproval ratings.
“It’s fair to say Kamala Harris has not wowed anyone and the party is stuck with her,” said Robert Rowland, who teaches political rhetoric at the University of Kansas. “That could be a real issue with the tiny percentage of swing voters in Arizona, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Georgia and it would not take very many of them to change the election.”
The White House insists that Republicans’ criticisms are ineffective.
“They attacked him for his age before he beat them in 2020. They attacked him over age as he built the best legislative record in modern history. They did the same before he beat them in 2022,” said White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates. “I’m not sure what they think they’re accomplishing. The trend is not good for them, but maybe they forgot?”
Medical experts say the president’s age is cause for concern. Roughly 95% of people older than 60 have at least one chronic illness such as diabetes, arthritis and heart disease and nearly 80% have more than two chronic issues, according to data from the National Council of Aging.
The average 80-year-old man can live another 7.7 years, Social Security Administration data revealed.
“The longer you live, the greater chance you have that something natural is going to happen to you and those odds go up the older we get,” said Michael Wasserman, a geriatrician and chair of public policy at the California Association of Long Term Care Medicine. “But age, by itself, doesn’t mean you have cognitive issues.”
Mr. Biden has brushed aside the age issue.
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“I can’t even say I guess how old I am, I can’t even say the number. It doesn’t— it doesn’t register with me,” Mr. Biden said last week. “I took a hard look at it before I decided to run. And I feel good.”
Since launching his 2024 reelection bid, Mr. Biden has struggled in four of his last five public appearances.
At a White House reception Monday to celebrate a Muslim holiday, Mr. Biden butchered the name of basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and referred to the Quran as the “quorum.”
“And the cheer for Musl— we cheer for Muslim athletes, like Kareem Al-J—Al-J— Abdul-Jabbar. I know him and I did mispronounce his name.”
Earlier in the day, Mr. Biden became visibly frustrated as he was unable to pronounce the name of an award.
“We see it here again today with companies like AmePower …Florida’s business winner … award winner … Businessweek winner …YOU WON!,” Mr. Biden said, exasperated.
Last week, the president fumbled softball questions from kids during a Take Your Child to Work Day event at the White House. Mr. Biden couldn’t recall his last overseas trip, despite having traveled to Ireland roughly ten days earlier. He also couldn’t recall the name of his favorite movie or where his grandchildren live and how many grandchildren he has.
“I left somebody out. I said five — six? I’ve got one in New York, two in Philadelphia, or is it three? Three? I don’t know. You confused me,” he said when attempting to identify where his grandchildren live.
Dr. Wasserman, who has not examined Mr. Biden, said he does not see signs of Alzheimer’s or dementia based on the president’s public remarks. He said the president isn’t displaying the blank stare, loss of executive function, extensive forgetfulness or any other hallmarks of those illnesses.
“Biden got frustrated while trying to read the name of the award, but he understood that it was an award,” he said.
Carole Lieberman, a psychiatrist and author who has testified as an expert witness in competency cases, disagreed. She said Mr. Biden’s forgetfulness, stiff gait and sometimes unusual comments are all signs of cognitive impairment.
At the Muslim celebration, an audience member tells the president that the first and only Muslim judge was sitting in the crowd.
“You want to come and make a speech? Hush up, boy,” Mr. Biden responds.
Dr. Lieberman said the president’s outburst was a red flag.
“That shows emotions can be triggered easily and he doesn’t censor himself even though it is something that is inappropriate, which is a symptom of dementia,” she said.
Dr. Wasserman said Mr. Biden may be experiencing age-associated memory impairment, which is considered to be a normal sign of aging and not linked to dementia. As people age, it takes a little more time to recall why they entered a room or remember a name or an event.
Age-associated memory impairment isn’t disabling and doesn’t impact a person’s ability to carry out their duties or comprehend what is happening around them, he said. It simply means that an 80-year-old is more forgetful than a 40-year-old.
“It is a level of forgetfulness that doesn’t impact executive function,” Dr. Wasserman said. “Ireland may not immediately come to mind, but that’s not the same as understanding policy related to Ireland. It’s the brain helping us decide what is important.”
Dr. Lieberman said she does not view age-related memory impairment as a formal diagnosis and it wouldn’t explain his forgetfulness when fielding questions from the children last week. The kids reminded him that his last overseas trip was to Ireland and that the movie he was thinking of was “Top Gun: Maverick.”
“It was telling that the kids had to help the president because he couldn’t hold multiple ideas in his head,” she said.
Kevin O’Connor, the president’s longtime physician, declared after the president’s physical exam in February that Mr. Biden is a “healthy, vigorous 80-year-old.”
A letter released by the White House from Dr. O’Connor did not indicate if Mr. Biden had undergone any kind of cognitive assessment, which can be done in a few minutes and considered essential to catching changes linked to dementia.
Such reassurances haven’t eased concerns among voters or silenced Mr. Biden’s political rivals.
Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina who is pursuing the 2024 GOP nomination for president, has called for all candidates who are 75 years and older to take a cognitive assessment. That would also apply to the undisputed frontrunner for the Republican nomination, former President Donald Trump, who is 76.
Rep. Ronny Jackson, Texas Republican and White House physician for multiple presidents, has been circulating a letter demanding Mr. Biden take a cognitive test or drop out of the 2024 race.
Mr. Biden could participate in more unscripted interviews and appearances to ease voters’ concerns about his age and cognitive abilities. But he has been reluctant to put himself in those situations, limiting his interviews and media appearances.
Mr. Biden had given 33 interviews as president through Feb. 8, according to the most recent data compiled by former CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller, who keeps stats on such things. At the same point in their administrations, President Trump had done 147 interviews and President Obama had done 273.
“I think Biden’s people need to reassure the American people by putting him in unscripted sending, but you are really rolling the dice if you do that,” said Mr. Rowland, the political rhetoric professor. “He could wow people, but it’s a high-risk thing to do given his history of gaffes.”
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.