Biden says he ‘took a hard look’ at his age when considering his reelection run

President Joe Biden says he “took a tough look” at his personal age as he contemplated whether or not to hunt reelection, marking his first substantive response to a query about his resolution to run for president once more since he introduced his 2024 bid on Tuesday.

“(The American citizens is) going to see a race, and so they’re going to evaluate whether or not or not I’ve it or don’t have it. I respect them taking a tough take a look at it. I take a tough take a look at it as properly – I took a tough take a look at it earlier than I made a decision to run, and I really feel good, I really feel excited concerning the prospects,” Biden mentioned when pressed on his age throughout a joint press convention on Wednesday alongside South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on the White Home.

At 80 years previous, Biden is the oldest president in American historical past, and if reelected, he could be 86 when ending his second time period. It’s been a looming political situation for the president, with polls persistently reflecting concern about his age, even amongst Democrats, earlier than a reelection run was introduced.

“With regard to age, I can’t even say I suppose how previous I’m. I can’t even say the quantity – it doesn’t register with me,” he joked.

The 2024 marketing campaign was the subject of one among only a small handful of questions Biden fielded on the joint press convention alongside Yoon, who was on the White Home as a part of a state go to.

The scheduling of the state go to on the White Home a day after Biden’s reelection announcement was coincidental, in accordance with officers acquainted with the planning. However the set-pieces of American diplomacy – pulled out to reaffirm the US-South Korean alliance – occur to serve Biden’s personal functions, reflecting a method of utilizing the trimmings of the presidency to lend its present incumbent a level political capital.

It’s one thing Biden’s political workforce hopes to harness as he seeks a second time period, in accordance with officers, together with within the coming months earlier than his marketing campaign actually will get underway.

That features utilizing Air Pressure One to fly to ribbon-cuttings, groundbreakings and manufacturing facility openings made doable by a few of his signature laws, a lot of it opposed by Republicans.

It should additionally embody a heavy schedule of international journey, beginning subsequent month in Japan and Australia and persevering with over the summer time with a visit to Europe, that can put Biden on the worldwide stage – and plenty of time-zones away from no matter political disaster is engulfing Washington. Aides have laid preliminary plans for one international journey monthly over the approaching months.

Biden has informed his advisers he believes his important job is being president, and plans to focus totally on his presidential duties – not his marketing campaign – for the foreseeable future.

In actuality, all the pieces he does will probably be considered via a political lens now that he’s a candidate, a truth not misplaced on the president or his workforce.

Nobody is below the phantasm some great benefits of the incumbency will erase the numerous headwinds Biden faces, together with his age and approval score. The identical benefits didn’t finally safe former president and 2024 contender Donald Trump a second time period. They do, nevertheless, hope the built-in authority of truly being president can present Biden with an upper-hand as People start to tune into the election.

Wednesday was a literal demonstration of the “Rose Backyard technique,” the longstanding strategy by a sitting president to make use of the ability of the presidency to safe reelection.

Standing within the backyard alongside his South Korean counterpart, Biden fielded questions on nuclear threats and the economic system whereas reaffirming ties to Seoul. However he additionally warned in opposition to the “hazard” that Trump “presents to our democracy,” and sought to remind his viewers what he inherited upon taking workplace as he defended his personal efficiency as president, pointing to nationwide debt and a “critical lack of credibility all over the world.”

Biden mentioned on the information convention that he believes he would nonetheless be operating if Trump wasn’t looking for reelection.

“I believe I nonetheless could be operating if (Trump) wasn’t. I do know him properly … Look, there’s simply – there’s extra to complete the job. We’ve a chance to place ourselves ready the place we’re economically and politically safe for a very long time… So, I believe we’ve got to complete the job and nail it down,” he added.