To ease voter concerns, Biden must address the (old) elephant in the room | Editorial

In a little over a week, President Joe Biden turns 81. He received an early birthday present on Tuesday when Democrats swept nearly every important race across the country, including in the red state of Kentucky, the purple state of Virginia, and the all-important Philadelphia suburbs here in the swing state of Pennsylvania.

The results bolstered the argument that Biden’s policies and the positions of Democrats, especially on abortion rights, amount to a winning formula in next November’s presidential election.

But just before Election Day, Biden received a reminder that his age is not necessarily a virtue.

A key poll showed him trailing Donald Trump, his likely Republican opponent, in five of the six key swing states that are all but certain to determine the 2024 presidential election.

The poll was packed with bad news for Biden, but one response stood out: More than 70% polled said he was “too old” to be president.

Unfairly or not, Biden’s age looms large for voters. Some may cry ageism, but there is no denying Biden is already America’s oldest sitting president. Although, at 77, Trump is just three years younger, Biden’s stiff gait is a constant reminder of his advanced age.

Physical attributes aside, Biden has been a consequential president with a number of major accomplishments, including leading the country out of the pandemic, rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure, fighting climate change, supporting allies on two war fronts (with no help from Republicans), and not getting indicted four times like his treasonous opponent.

Even still, another poll last spring showed most Democrats did not want Biden to run again. (Most voters do not want Trump to run, either.) In September, David Ignatius, a respected and measured columnist at the Washington Post, wrote that Biden should not run again, pointing to his age.

After a New York Times-Siena College poll showed Biden trailing in five swing states, Democratic strategist David Axelrod suggested Biden consider dropping out.

As a practical matter, however, it is far too late in the game for Biden to quit now: The deadline for other Democratic candidates to enter the race has already passed in Nevada, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.

To be sure, there is no indication Biden plans to step aside. But he is not getting any younger, so the age issue is not going away.

That’s why Biden must address questions about his age head-on. He should follow the lead of former Presidents Barack Obama and John F. Kennedy when they confronted hot-button topics that gave voters pause.

During the 2008 primary campaign, ABC News dug up video of Obama’s longtime pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, making racially charged remarks during sermons, including that Black people should not sing “God Bless America” but “God damn America.”

The video placed race front and center in the campaign. Obama denounced Wright’s comments the day after the report. Days later, Obama traveled to Philadelphia and delivered a stirring speech on race that essentially saved his campaign.

During the 1960 presidential campaign, Kennedy was running to be the first Roman Catholic in the Oval Office. Many voters were concerned Kennedy’s religion would give him undue loyalty to the Vatican, spurring him to perhaps criminalize birth control or steer tax dollars to Catholic schools.

Two months before the election, Kennedy traveled to Houston and gave a powerful speech about his religion to a gathering of Southern Baptist clergy. The speech tempered concerns about Kennedy’s religion influencing his presidency.

Biden should do the same by addressing his physical fitness for what is a grueling job. He can remind voters he doesn’t drink or smoke. He exercises five days a week with a personal trainer. He occasionally golfs and rides his bike. And if genetics provide voters with any additional comfort, he could also point out that his mom lived to be 92.

Biden could underscore his stamina by recounting his trip to Ukraine in February, when he left the White House at 4 a.m. and flew to Germany to refuel, then on to Poland, before boarding a train for a 10-hour overnight trip to Kyiv to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Biden could also point to other executives, such as Warren Buffett, who leads Berkshire Hathaway at age 93, and Fox News boss Rupert Murdoch, who just stepped down at age 92. He could also make a Ronald Reagan-like quip about not holding his opponent’s mental fitness against him.

Going forward, Biden’s aides could make him more available to the press and the public so they can see him in action more often. More should also be done to showcase Vice President Kamala Harris to better answer concerns about her readiness to fill in.

In the end, the only presidential poll that matters is on Nov. 5, 2024. A lot can happen over the next year. But a Biden-Trump rematch will determine if democracy survives or is taken hostage by a grievance-filled authoritarian.

Given the stakes, Biden must show voters he is up to the job.