US polls: “I’m old but only 3 years older than Trump,” says fast-aging President Biden
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Trying to catch up with an energetic Donald Trump, who bounced back into the poll arena barely hours after surviving an assassination bid last Saturday, President Joe Biden tried to justify his insistence to contest the November polls—despite several Democrat leaders’ strong opposition—saying that “I am only 3 years older than Trump.”
A fast-aging President Biden, 81, is still hoping to contest against Trump, 78.
Gaffe-prone, the incumbent President has embarrassed not only his party but the US in general even on global forums. He appears lost on the stage at times, has made numerous mistakes, sometimes fails to recognize people or connect them with the offices they hold, and stumbled while facing off against Trump in a TV debate which became a disaster.
His poor performance has forced the Democrats to re-think his candidature but Biden is insisting to contest the November polls.
“I’m old… But I’m only three years older than Trump, number one. And number two, my mental acuity’s been pretty damn good,” Biden claimed in an interview with NBC News anchor Lester Holt, the media reported on Tuesday.
“I’ve gotten done more than any president has in a long, long time in 3½ years. So, I’m willing to be judged on that,” he added as he pushed back against critics questioning his age and capability.
Biden acknowledged the concerns about his age. “I understand. I understand why people say, ‘God, he’s 81 years old. Whoa. What’s he gonna be when he’s 83 years old, or 84 years?’ It’s a legitimate question to ask.”
But President Biden is hell-bent on recontesting the polls to keep the White House as his residence. He made his stance clear: he would not yield.
Biden’s interview marked his return to the campaign trail. Following an assassination attempt on his Republican challenger and former President Donald Trump, he took a short break from aggressive campaigning but is now back, determined to prove his critics wrong.
Biden’s assertiveness comes after a lackluster TV debate performance against Donald Trump on June 27, which led to doubts about his vigor and mental sharpness. The debate performance, marked by several stumbles, has spurred some Democratic lawmakers to question his viability against Trump, now a far more formidable challenger.
Biden is under increasing pressure from some Democrats to withdraw. Vermont Senator Peter Welch became the first Democratic senator to suggest Biden step aside for the good of the country. Despite this, prominent figures like former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have either supported Biden or refrained from taking a definitive stance on his candidacy.
During the latest TV interview, he dismissed concerns about the race’s tight polling margins, emphasizing that it has always been anticipated to be a close contest. “The polling data shows a lot of different things, but there’s no wide gap between us. It’s essentially a toss-up race,” he asserted.
Despite a recent NBC News poll showing Trump leading Biden by a narrow margin, within the poll’s error range, Biden remains unfazed.
“What I’m doing is going out and demonstrating to the American people that I have command of all my faculties, that I don’t need notes. I don’t need telepro — I can go out and answer any questions at all.”
Biden also called on the media to scrutinize Trump equally, pointing out the numerous falsehoods Trump propagated during their debate.
“Why doesn’t the press ever talk about that?” he questioned.
“I’m not the guy who said, “I want to be a dictator on Day 1,’” Biden said, referring to Trump. “I’m not the guy who refused to accept the outcome of the (2020) election. I’m not the guy who said he wouldn’t accept the outcome of this election.”
“You can’t only love your country when you win,” he added.
