White House Struggling on How Best to Counter Biden’s Age Optics, Per Politico Report
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
A new report delved into efforts by President Joe Biden’s allies to diminish concerns about his age, even as it stands to be a major factor in the 2024 election.
Politico interviewed over a dozen Biden donors, fundraisers, Democratic strategists, and party officials, all of whom spoke about the difficulty of alleviating voter anxieties about the president’s age. Even though the president and his team have tried to deflect concerns about his age with humor and by pointing to his experience, the fact remains that even most Democrats believe Biden is too old for another term in the White House.
Polticio’s report described a DNC fundraising retreat in September where Biden’s deputy campaign manager, Quentin Fulks, was asked how donors should handle the age concerns. Some were satisfied when he suggested focusing on Biden’s accomplishments. Still, others were not, and “not everyone is sure what the right playbook is for handling the president’s most sensitive vulnerability.”
Because of Donald Trump’s advanced age and apparent mental lapses, the report notes that Biden’s team has tried going on the offensive about that, though his age is still more of a voter issue for Biden than it is for Trump. It’s to this point that Democrats remain indecisive about how to handle the issue going forward, especially since Biden’s team has grown “particularly sensitive, even defensive” about the thorniness of the subject:
From the report:
Even those in Biden’s inner circle, including family members, worry about the optics of age. Those close allies believe that Biden is mentally up for the job, but some acknowledge that the president can at times appear frail, according to two people involved in the conversations but not authorized to speak publicly about internal deliberations.
One example: As noted on his recent physical, Biden’s gait has stiffened following foot fractures he suffered playing with his dog in late 2020. People close to the president have discussed having him walk shorter distances while on camera. They’ve also advocated, at times, trading in formal shoes for more comfortable ones — both to make his stride seem less stiff, but also to reduce the risk of falls.
Some Democrats argue that Biden’s team has been too dismissive of the idea that the president’s age could hurt him in the election. They have pushed for a more offensive strategy, nudging Biden aides to showcase his younger, diverse cabinet.
Another Biden donor said they recently raised concerns about the president’s age with DNC officials, but “they just refused to even acknowledge it was a problem.”
“I think the strategy is not to even address it, to consider questions like that stupid or silly,” said the donor. “Literally everyone is talking about it, even amongst donors. But the response is always: ‘What are you going to do?’”
Andrew Bates, a White House spokesperson, said in a statement that Biden “has used his deep experience to deliver unprecedented benefits.” He noted legislation to lower drug prices, invest in infrastructure and change gun laws, along with the president’s foreign policy portfolio, among the achievements.
“President Biden is fighting every day to add to those results for families, while Republican officials fight with each other and quadruple down on criticisms of him that failed in 2020, 2022 and 2023,” Bates added. For good measure, he shared a May 2023 story headlined: “After Calling Joe Biden Senile, Republicans Complain He Outsmarted Them.”
