There are signs that the controversy over the advanced age of U.S. President Joe Biden, who celebrated his 81st birthday on the 20th, will reignite. President Biden’s side tried to manage his health by reducing the public schedule while avoiding controversy by using ‘senior politicians’.
According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 19th, President Biden decided not to hold a separate birthday celebration event due to concerns about raising awareness of his age. Instead, he plans to celebrate his birthday privately with his family during the Thanksgiving holiday on the 24th.
White House Communications Director Ben LaBolt avoided answering questions about President Biden’s birthday at the briefing that day, saying, “President Biden will create more than 14 million jobs and restore the economy through decades of public service experience and deep relationships with congressional leaders.” “We passed the bill that led the way,” he said, emphasizing economy. Attorney John Morgan, a ‘big’ supporter of President Biden, also told Politico, a U.S. political media outlet, on this day, “It is wisdom to support Biden,” adding, “If (93-year-old) Warren Buffett had stopped investing at age 80, he would have recorded record profits over the past 12 years. “You must have missed it,” he said.
President Biden’s re-election campaign is focusing on prevention to prevent health problems due to aging. According to Bloomberg News, the White House changed the stairs to board the presidential plane, Air Force One, to lower stairs. This is taking into account that President Biden stumbled on the boarding stairs in the past. Additionally, to prevent falls at the event, the White House doctor is conducting a weight training and treadmill program.
The White House is claiming that President Biden’s various speech mistakes are due to his eyesight, not his poor memory. Like former President Donald Trump, people who do not wear glasses in public places are missing the message on the teleprompter containing the speech. Additionally, President Biden’s public schedule was limited to four hours a day from noon to 4 p.m. Official press conferences by reporters, which are customarily held on private planes during overseas trips, are also being replaced with interviews with specific newspapers.
President Biden is expected to mainly use White House public events rather than on-site campaigning for next year’s election campaign. The NYT evaluated it as “a ‘bubble wrap’ strategy that puts him in a bubble for 12 months (until the presidential election) to prevent him from falling.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.