White House tries to ease concerns about Biden's age

The White House is making logistical arrangements to help Mr. Biden avoid stumbling or missteps, while emphasizing that his age gives him the advantage of experience.

In early June, President Biden fell on stage after tripping over a small sandbag used to hold a teleprompter while delivering a commencement speech at the Air Force Academy in Colorado. The incident reminded the public once again that Mr. Biden, 80 years old, is the oldest US president in history and that he may be too old to serve another term.

Two sources familiar with the matter said that after the incident, the White House chief's aides met to find ways to ensure similar incidents would never happen again.

They have been trying to allay concerns about Mr. Biden’s age since the 2020 campaign. But the challenge is expected to be more difficult in the 2024 campaign, because any “missteps” by the President will attract more attention and convince voters that he should consider retirement.

“Physically, he is quite frail. He even fell off his bike once,” said a former Western diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity. “He doesn’t have the physical strength of Obama or younger presidents. Biden will be 86 when his second term ends. That’s very old by European standards.”

Biden stumbles on stage — US President Joe Biden stumbles as he returns to his seat after delivering a speech at the Air Force Academy in Colorado on June 1. Video: *Reuters*

President Biden’s aides and advisers appear to be looking to minimize the physical activity of his job. The US president’s iconic walk up the stairs of Air Force One, turning around and waving, but Biden slipped and fell while boarding Air Force One in Warsaw, Poland in February. He also tripped three times on the aircraft’s stairs at Andrews Air Force Base in March 2021.

Aides have recently arranged for Mr. Biden to take a shorter flight of stairs to board Air Force One instead of the long flight of stairs, which he uses to get into the belly of the plane. On a recent trip to Philadelphia, Mr. Biden used the short stairs to board Air Force One from Andrews. He used the long stairs to get off when he arrived, but he used the short stairs when he left Philadelphia a few hours later.

The White House did not directly answer the question of whether short stairs are a solution to reduce the risk of the US President falling. According to statistics from NBC News, Mr. Biden has used short stairs twice as often since his fall at the Air Force Academy in early June. In the past seven weeks, the White House chief has used short stairs 31 of 37 times to get on and off the plane.

President Joe Biden boards Air Force One via a short flight of stairs at Andrews Air Force Base, USA, June 20. Photo: AFP — President Joe Biden boards Air Force One via a short flight of stairs at Andrews Air Force Base, USA, June 20. Photo: *AFP*

The US president may also be adopting a “save energy” tactic. According to diplomatic practice, when traveling abroad, Mr. Biden will converse with leaders at dinners after a series of meetings. These are less formal events that provide an opportunity for leaders to bond.

Earlier this month, Mr. Biden skipped dinner during the NATO summit in Lithuania, with aides saying he was preparing for meetings and a major speech the next day.

“Dinners are an opportunity to network. But Biden has built relationships over time,” said Jonathan Finer, deputy national security adviser at the White House.

Biden frequently misspoke, raising concerns that he was not mentally sharp. On June 28, he wanted to say that the Russian president was losing the war in Ukraine, but said "the war in Iraq." He did not seem to realize he had misspoken and did not correct his answer to reporters.

On the evening of June 27, Mr. Biden also misspoke at a campaign fundraising event, confusing India with China when mentioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the White House.

To avoid such incidents, the White House is taking steps familiar to many seniors, such as increasing the font size on teleprompters. Mr. Biden also uses sticky notes to jot down points he needs to make during meetings.

President Joe Biden attends a meeting at the White House on July 19. Photo: AFP — President Joe Biden attends a meeting at the White House on July 19. Photo: *AFP*

Republicans see Biden’s age as a weakness they can exploit. Former President Donald Trump posted videos of Biden falling on social media.

A former White House official said Biden’s aides had been strategizing how to deal with Republicans. Last year, Biden’s allies proposed a lavish birthday party for his 80th birthday, to show that he was “openly embracing this milestone rather than avoiding it.” But the president ended up spending his birthday with his family as usual.

In May, Mr. Biden highlighted the advantages of his age when running for office. "I have accumulated a lot of good things and understand the world better than most people. I have more experience running than anyone. I think I have proven myself to be a person who is honorable and effective," he said.

Biden’s advisers plan to use that argument throughout the campaign, insisting that Republicans are simply recycling an attack that Trump, 77, made during the 2020 presidential race. They argue that Biden’s decades of experience in politics have helped him win legislative victories that his younger predecessors, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, failed to achieve.

Running for president is a grueling process, even for the most agile and dynamic candidates. In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic helped Biden because in-person events were limited, eliminating the need for him to travel to multiple cities to meet voters.

In the 2024 campaign, the incumbent presidency has lightened his load, with planes, helicopters, motorcades and a full-time staff available to Biden.

His health is also being looked after "as carefully as possible". Annual check-ups show that the US President has no serious health problems, but his personal physician Kevin O'Connor "always watches him like a hawk, whether he likes it or not", said a close adviser.

Aides dismiss doubts that his age and health make him unfit for the job, pointing to instances where Mr. Biden has had to stay up late or wake up early to tackle new problems. He often receives hundreds of pages of documents from aides around 7 or 8 p.m., before being briefed the next morning.

During the long flight back to the US from the NATO conference in Lithuania, Stefanie Feldman, the White House staff secretary, said Mr Biden went to the staff area to thank everyone, while his aides were "fainting with exhaustion".

“I have to wake them up. I wish I had the energy of an 80-year-old president,” she said.

Duc Trung (According to NBC News )

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