White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters
that Biden and his family would celebrate his birthday later
this week with coconut cake when they gather for the
Thanksgiving holiday on the island of Nantucket.
Biden has addressed those who worry that he is too old for the
rigors of the White House with humor and an attempt to convince
voters that his age and experience over a half-century in public
life is an asset in tackling America's problems.
At a ceremony on Monday to pardon the National Thanksgiving
Turkey, Biden joked that he was not around for the first such
turkey event 76 years ago.
"I want you to know I wasn't there at the first one. I was too
young to make it up," he said.
If re-elected, Biden would be 86 by the end of his second term
in office. Republican Ronald Reagan, who had the prior record as
oldest U.S. president, ended his second four-year term at age 77
in 1989.
Trump, frontrunner for the Republican nomination to challenge
Biden in the 2024 election, is 77.
In a mid-September Reuters/Ipsos poll, voters expressed concern
over Biden’s age and fitness for office. Seventy-seven percent
of respondents, including 65% of Democrats, said Biden is too
old to be president, while just 39% said Biden was mentally
sharp enough for the presidency.
By comparison, 56% of poll respondents said Trump is too old for
the office, while 54% said he was mentally sharp enough to
handle the challenges of the presidency.
Jean-Pierre, asked about the poll results, said Biden has
managed to mark some major legislative achievements and should
be judged on his record, not his age.
"Our perspective is that it's not about age, it's about the
president's experience," she said. "We have to judge him by what
he's done, not by his numbers."
(Reporting By Steve HollandEditing by Bill Berkrot and David
Gregorio)
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