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Age and health concerns about Joe Biden

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Polls showing growing concern about Biden's age
Joe Biden during the 2024 State of the Union

At 81 years of age, Joe Biden, the 46th president of the United States, is the oldest sitting president in United States history.[1][2]

Former Republican president Donald Trump, voters and several members of the Democratic Party showed concerned about his age, including his cognitive health. These issues became more talked about during and after the 2020 United States presidential election. These concerns became a bigger issue after a poor performance by Biden during a debate against Trump in the 2024 presidential election. This led a many commentators and some Democratic lawmakers to pressure Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.[3] After the debate, it was reported that a neurologist specializing in Parkinson's disease had visited the White House eight times in the previous eight months.[4][5][6]

Biden later ended his candidacy while saying that he would continue serving as president until the end of his term.[7]

In 2018, when Biden was thinking running for president, he talked with friends, aides, and longtime supporters and asked if he was too old to run for the presidency.[8] By 2019, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Politico, CNN, The Atlantic, the Associated Press, and Slate all published articles on Biden's age and if he was healthy enough to run for office.[9] That year, many of the people running against him for the Democratic nomination used his age against Biden, who was 76 at the time.[10]

In January 2024, a doctor gave Biden a close to 75% chance of living through a second term based on publicly available information about his health. This is about a 10% better survival chance when compared to other men his age.[11][12]

In a February 2024 poll, Biden's age and health were major issues for 86% of voters generally,[13] up from 76% earlier in 2020.[14] According to another 2024 poll, most of those who voted for Biden in 2020 say they believe he is too old to be a good president.[15]

After finishing the investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents, a special counsel said that Biden would be able to show himself to a jury as an "elderly man with poor memory" and wrote that Biden had some memory problems.[16] While criticizing the counsel's statement during the conference, Biden accidentally called the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as President of Mexico.[17]

On July 17, 2024, Biden tested positive for COVID-19. He had mild symptoms, including a cough and a runny nose.[18] Pictures of him looking sick while leaving from Air Force One on the way to isolation in Delaware had people expressing more concern about Biden's health.[19]

References

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  1. ↑ Klein, Betsy (November 20, 2023). "Biden's birthday prompts debate about age and wisdom of America's oldest president | CNN Politics". CNN. Archived from the original on February 11, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  2. ↑ Baker, Peter (November 19, 2023). "For an Aging President, a Birthday With a Bite". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Rep. Schiff calls on Biden to drop out, citing 'serious concerns' that he can't win". Los Angeles Times. 2024-07-17. Archived from the original on July 19, 2024. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  4. ↑ Helmore, Edward (July 6, 2024). "Biden's doctor reportedly met with top neurologist at White House". The Guardian. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  5. ↑ Baumgaertner, Emily; Baker, Peter (July 8, 2024). "Parkinson's Expert Visited the White House Eight Times in Eight Months". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 18, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  6. ↑ "President Biden not being treated for Parkinson's, White House says, amid questions over doctor's visit". Sky News. July 9, 2024. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Biden steps aside as Democratic presidential nominee". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 21, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Is Biden Too Old to Run for President Again?". Bloomberg News. Associated Press. December 14, 2018. Archived from the original on February 17, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  9. ↑ Shafer, Jack (August 2, 2019). "Is Joe Biden Too Old?". Politico. Archived from the original on July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  10. ↑ Erickson, Bo (June 4, 2019). "When a young Joe Biden used his opponent's age against him - CBS News". CBS News. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Heart attacks, strokes, dementia—can Biden and Trump beat the odds?". The Economist. January 9, 2024. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2024-08-19. Dr Olshansky stated on January 7th, in an article in the Hill, a Washington-based newspaper, that, 'Today his [Mr Biden's] chances of surviving through a second term in office are close to 75% (about 10% better survival than for an average man his age). Similar, although slightly less favourable survival prospects are present for Trump.'
  12. ↑ Olshansky, S. Jay; Barnes, Ben; Willcox, Bradley (January 7, 2024). "Opinion: Is Joe Biden a superager? We're asking all the wrong questions". The Hill.
  13. ↑ Garrity, Kelly (February 11, 2024). "Poll: Overwhelming majority of Americans think Biden is too old for another term". Politico. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Age isn't just a number. It's a profound and growing problem for Biden". Politico. February 8, 2024. Archived from the original on February 9, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  15. ↑ Lerer, Lisa; Igielnik, Ruth (March 3, 2024). "Majority of Biden's 2020 Voters Now Say He's Too Old to Be Effective". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 3, 2024. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  16. ↑ Matza, Max (February 8, 2024). "No charge for Biden over classified documents but report questions memory". BBC News. Archived from the original on February 9, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  17. ↑ Lebowitz, Megan; Alba, Monica; Lee, Carol E. (February 9, 2024). "'How in the hell dare he': Biden strikes defiant tone on special counsel report". NBC News. Archived from the original on February 9, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  18. ↑ Olorunnipa, Toluse; Nirappil, Fenit (July 20, 2024). "Biden tests positive for covid, cancels events amid mild symptoms". Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 22, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  19. ↑ Kanno-Youngs, Zolan (July 18, 2024). "From Buoyant to Frail: Two Days in Las Vegas as Biden Tests Positive". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 18, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
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