WASHINGTON–President Joe Biden is celebrating his 81st birthday on Monday as worries continue to grow about his age. The president spent his birthday pardoning two turkeys called Liberty and Bell, carrying out an annual Thanksgiving tradition at the White House.
“And by the way, it’s my birthday today,” President Biden announced during the turkey pardoning ceremony on the South Lawn. “I just want you to know it’s difficult turning 60,” he joked.
He is the oldest president in American history, and if he is reelected, he will begin his second term at the age of 82.
According to the White House, the President will spend his birthday with his family in Nantucket later this week, and will have coconut cake, as is customary.
While President Biden is optimistic about his reelection chances, numerous polls have shown that his age is a concern for the majority of Americans.
“Our perspective is that it’s not about age; it’s about the president’s experience,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a press briefing on Monday in response to questions about her boss’s age.
When pressed about the president’s dismal approval ratings, she stated, “We’re not going to change the minds of Americans. I get that, Americans are going to feel how they feel. And we’re going to respect that.”
And more than 3 in 5 Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents said they would prefer a nominee other than President Biden.
In addition, independent voters gave President Biden a dismal 36 percent approval rating.
Numerous polls also found that the majority of Americans are unhappy with his handling of the economy.
Meanwhile, an increasing number of prominent Democrats are urging President Biden to withdraw from the 2024 race, citing his continued slide in polls and domestic and international challenges.
For example, David Axelrod, the political consultant and strategist who helped launch President Biden onto the national stage in 2008, has called for him to step aside in the aftermath of the New York Times and Siena College polls.
The polls showed President Biden down in several key swing states and leading in Wisconsin by only a slim two percentage point lead over his rival, President Trump.
“Only @JoeBiden can make this decision. If he continues to run, he will be the nominee of the Democratic Party. What he needs to decide is whether that is wise; whether it’s in HIS best interest or the country’s?” Mr. Axelrod wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, in early November.
The polling data showed that President Biden was trailing President Trump in Georgia by 6 percentage points, in Pennsylvania by 4 points, in Michigan by 5 points, in Nevada by 11, and in Arizona by 6.
In addition, his approval rating was 37 percent in the polls, worse than President Trump had in his bid for reelection. Many have compared his situation to that of President Jimmy Carter in the 1970s.
Several other political figures have also called for President Biden to drop out of the race. They include former Democrat presidential candidate Andrew Yang and former Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan (D).
