Joe Biden turns 80 this Sunday. He thus becomes the first octogenarian president in the history of the United States. He looks fit. Every time he is asked how old he is, he replies, "Look at me," and he says it with a clear presumption of impeccable physical condition.
When he expands on his answer, usually because he is urged to do so, he argues that the important thing is to have enough "energy and ability" to do the job that has been entrusted to him. And, with certain facts that support him, such as the intense activity that he carries out daily, the frequent trips he makes and the absence of health problems in the two years that he has been in command, he appears legitimized to continue in office and to opt for re-election in 2024...
... Or, at least, that is "the intention", he clarified ten days ago. And he specified that he will think about it and discuss it as a family this Christmas to make the decision at the beginning of the year.
The president spoke in this way at the press conference he gave after the mid-term legislative elections on November 8. Elections that rejuvenated him politically, resulting in the best midterm results in decades for any president: maintaining control of the Senate and losing control of the Lower House, yes, but for far fewer seats than the polls predicted and the Republicans took it for granted.
The poor results achieved by key candidates endorsed by Donald Trump, with the consequent criticism of the former president by not a few Republicans and conservative media until then loyal to him, tarnished the announcement of his candidacy for the 2024 presidential elections, on Tuesday at his mansion. of Mar-a-Lago. So, in the Democratic ranks, more than one senior official stepped forward to say: "If anyone has shown that he can beat Donald Trump - who, by the way, is 76 years old -" that's Joe Biden.
Two days after Trump's act, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 82, announced her retirement as the Democratic leader of Congress. The veteran parliamentarian pointed out, among other things, that it was time to "make way for a new generation of democrats." Did Biden take the hint? It did not seem the case.
With factors in favor and against staying or giving way to others, and without yet knowing to what extent the elections may have improved his public approval ratings, the US president did not anticipate celebrating a birthday on Sunday that he prefers not to talk about. He, his wife, Jill Biden, and the rest of the family did celebrate the wedding of his granddaughter, Naomi Biden, to Peter Neal this Saturday on the South Lawn of the White House. Better that party than any other.
