David Axelrod: Biden's age 'major' issue for upcoming political viability

Daniel Chaitin

June 11, 12:38 PM June 11, 12:45 PM

Previous Obama adviser David Axelrod elevated a "big" purple flag with regards to President Joe Biden's ambitions to operate for reelection in 2024, pointing to the commander in chief's superior age.

His remarks appeared in a New York Moments report Saturday that examined "whispers" between Democrats who are progressively anxious about Biden's management forward of the 2022 midterm elections in which Republicans are widely predicted to get again handle of at the very least one chamber of Congress.

Biden, who is 79, is the oldest gentleman at any time to be president. In reality, Biden was more mature when he took the oath of place of work than was Ronald Reagan, the next-oldest sitting president at any time, when he retired at 77. Biden would be 82 for a second inauguration.

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“The presidency is a monstrously taxing job, and the stark truth is the president would be nearer to 90 than 80 at the conclude of a second expression, and that would be a major challenge,” Axelrod mentioned.

Biden said in December that he would operate for reelection if he is in great health.

"I am a good respecter of destiny. Fate has intervened in my everyday living a lot of, numerous instances. If I am in the health I'm in now, if I am in great wellness, then, in reality, I would run yet again," the president stated at the time.

Should Biden decrease to request a second expression, more youthful politicians may possibly line up to search for the Democratic Party's nomination. Amongst them could be former rivals in 2020 who grew to become customers of Biden's administration, together with Vice President Kamala Harris, who is 57, and 40-calendar year-outdated Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Among the the more mature set, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), two superior-profile, remaining-wing politicians who are 80 and 72, respectively, have also stoked presidential speculation as Biden's poll figures have taken a nose dive.

Previous President Donald Trump, who has flirted with the idea of a 2024 marketing campaign, is 75 with a birthday coming up future week.

Biden's critics usually increase queries about his actual physical electrical power and mental acuity, spurred by regular gaffes that aides often then swoop in to cleanse up. Axelrod, who was a top rated strategist for Barack Obama's two profitable presidential campaigns, argued that the age element had been a distraction from Biden's accomplishments.

“Biden doesn’t get the credit history he deserves for steering the place by the worst of the pandemic, passing historic laws, pulling the NATO alliance together in opposition to Russian aggression and restoring decency and decorum to the White Residence,” Axelrod claimed. “And aspect of the explanation he doesn’t is performative. He appears to be his age and is not as agile in front of a digital camera as he when was, and this has fed a narrative about competence that is not rooted in reality.”