[ad_1]
Rehoboth Beach (U.S.), Oct. 23 (AP) President Joe Biden jokes that it’s hard to admit he’s turning 80, but says he’s physically and mentally capable of serving as a potential candidate in the White House second term of office.
Biden, who will turn 80 on Nov. 20, said it was “perfectly legitimate” for voters to question whether someone his age could handle the rigors of a U.S. presidency. Biden answered questions about his age in an MSNBC interview that aired Sunday.
He said people should judge for themselves whether he’s up to the task, as polls show voters would rather not see a rematch with Republican Donald Trump, who will be ousted by Biden in 2020.
Biden will be 82 on Inauguration Day in January 2025; Trump will be 78.
Also read | Hurricane Rosslyn makes landfall on Mexico’s Pacific coast, avoiding resorts (watch video).
A recent poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research showed that only about three-in-ten respondents want Biden or Trump to run for president within two years. Only 5 in 10 Democrats want Biden re-elected, while 6 in 10 Republicans want to see Trump run for president again.
“I think the best way to make a judgment is to watch me. Am I slowing down? Am I going at the same pace?” Biden said in an interview recorded Friday during a visit to the Delaware State University campus, which was to promote his executive order for student loan debt relief.
Biden has not officially announced whether he will be re-elected, but has repeatedly expressed his intention to seek re-election.
During his 2020 campaign, Biden has often portrayed himself as a “transition candidate” who will provide a bridge to new Democratic talent.
The age and health of Biden and Trump loom large in the race to be decided by younger, more diverse voters at a time when America is facing serious problems.
In the MSNBC interview, Biden said voters should consider his “enthusiasm” for the job, as they consider his age to consider whether they should vote for him.
Biden joked that he’s still embracing being an eighty-something.
“I can’t even say how old I’m going to be. I can’t even put it out of my mouth,” Biden said.
Biden underwent a series of blood, physical, gastrointestinal, dental, vision and neurological tests shortly before his birthday last year.
Biden’s primary care physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, wrote in a six-page memo released at the White House after the exam that Biden was “healthy, energetic” and “fit for the successful discharge of his presidency.”
O’Connor said he investigated an increase in Biden’s “throat clearing” and a stiff gait in public speeches.
O’Connor reported that Biden’s cough was the result of gastrointestinal reflux, while the stiff gait was the result of newly diagnosed “mild peripheral neuropathy,” spondyloarthritis and compensation for a broken foot that occurred shortly before he took office . (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from the Syndicated News feed, the body of the content may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
[ad_2]
Source link
