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1 year ago
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President Joe Biden, the oldest commander-in-chief in American history, will turn 81 in a low-key Nantucket celebration Monday, as his administration appears set to keep him in a 'Bubble Wrap' strategy to stop him from falling in public again.
Biden has seen many question his fitness for office due to his age, with polls and pundits suggesting it is a huge problem for the president as he's less than a year from the 2024 election.
Notably, when asked to respond to concerns about Biden's age by the New York Times, the White House dodged the question completely while trying to rattle off the president's accomplishments.
'Because of President Biden's decades of experience in public service and deep relationships with leaders in Congress, he passed legislation that has helped to create more than 14 million jobs, lower prescription drug costs, invest in America's infrastructure and technology and led to the strongest economic recovery in the developed world,' White House Communications Director Ben LaBolt said.
Still, some of his staffers believe he needs to be protected from moments like when he suffered an embarrassing moment of confusion at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier as he stumbled through a Veterans Day service with a 'Bubble Wrap' strategy.
President Joe Biden, the oldest commander-in-chief in American history, turns 81 Monday and his administration appears set to keep him in a 'Bubble Wrap' strategy to stop him from falling in public again
Some literally described it as putting the president in bubble wrap until November 2024 to make sure he doesn't trip or fall in public again, like he did at an Air Force Academy commencement in June.
Some current and former administration officials vehemently disagree and call for the opposite, letting him hit the campaign trail to 'show his vigor, deploy more humor to defuse the matter and even boast about his age rather than ignore it.'
Veteran Democrat strategist Simon Rosenberg is in the latter camp, saying that Biden should hit home his age and experience even harder.
'He's been successful because of his age, not in spite of it,' Rosenberg said.
'We're all going to have to make that case because it's true. We can't run away from the age issue. It's going to be a major part of the conversation, but we would be making a political mistake if we don't contest it more aggressively.'
However, John B. Judis, a longtime political strategist and author, suggested that Biden's age has made him look less presidential.
'He doesn't look and speak the part,' Judis said. 'He's not a commanding or charming presence on a presidential or presidential election stage.'
Judis praised many of Biden's legislative achievements, including infrastructure and fighting climate change but said that his 'public performance' has been poor.
President Joe Biden is helped up after falling during the graduation ceremony at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado in June. He fell while handing out diplomas to cadets
The commander-in-chief stumbled, hit the floor and had cadets and Secret Service rush to grab his arms while he was handing out diplomas in Colorado
'He's fine,' White House Communications Director Ben LaBolt tweeted afterward. 'There was a sandbag (seen left) on stage while he was shaking hands.'
'I think a lot of voters, and young people in particular, who are not at all put off by his political positions or accomplishments, are put off by his utter failure as a regal persona,' Judis said.
'And I don't know how that can be fixed. Not by bicycling. Biden's best hope in that regard is the voters' perception of Trump as a bad or even evil father who wants to wreck the family.'
The consternation over Biden's age comes as polling has never been worse for the president.
Polling from The New York Times and Siena College earlier this month shows Biden trialing behind 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 Oct. 22 to Nov. 3. The margin of error for each state is between 4.4 and 4.8 percentage points.
Biden is ahead only in Wisconsin, by 2 percentage points, and falls to Trump in the five other states by margins of four to 10 percentage points among registered voters, according to the poll.
Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania were four of the states the Democrat beat then-president Donald Trump in during their 2020 White House face-off.
The same poll revealed that two-thirds of the electorate sees the country moving in the wrong direction under Biden.
Biden has seen many question his fitness for office due to his age, with polls and pundits suggesting it is a huge problem for the president as he's less than a year from the 2024 election
The consternation over Biden's age comes as polling has never been worse for the president
Just 37 percent of people say they trusted Biden with the economy, compared to 59 percent with Trump - which is one of the largest issue gaps, the polling suggested.
Biden's bragging rights on 'Bidenomics' has fallen short too - with a measly two percent saying the economy was 'excellent' during his tenure.
According to the statistics, young voters under the age of 30 are only favoring Biden by a single percentage point - and men are preferring Trump by double the margin that women are choosing Biden.
Voters across all income levels felt that policies under Biden had hurt them personally (18 points disadvantage) whereas Trump's policies had helped them (17 point advantage.)
Biden's senile age of 80 also played a massive factor, according to the data. 71 percent of the pollsters - from every demographic - said he was 'too old.'
Comparatively, just 39 percent saw Trump, 77, as too old.
Voters also preferred Trump over Biden on immigration, national security, and on the current Israel Palestine by 12, 12, and 11 points respectively.
Meanwhile, Biden's pull with Hispanic voters is down to single digits and traditionally Democratic black voters are now registering 22 percent support for Trump.
Polling from the New York Times and Sienna Collage shows Biden falling behind in five of the six most important battleground states
'Gallup predicted an eight-point loss for President Obama only for him to win handily a year later. We'll win in 2024 by putting our heads down and doing the work, not by fretting about a poll,' ' said Kevin Munoz, a spokesman for Biden's campaign told The New York Times.
DailyMail.com found out of 1,000 voters in a hypothetical 2024 head-to-head poll Trump takes a one-point lead over Biden.
One year out from election day on November 5, 2024, Biden's Gallup approval rating stood at 37 percent.
That is lower at the same stage than his six immediate predecessors - Donald Trump, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan.
Only Jimmy Carter, who was on 32 percent, was more unpopular than Biden with a year to go, and Carter went on to lose in a landslide.
Biden has raised concerns over his age with recent gaffes from looking confused how to exit a stage at events and slipping up on telling stories.
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