Fears are growing among senior Democrats about 80-year-old Joe Biden’s health ahead of the 2024 election
One regional Democratic leader even said the United States President “is in a period of his life where passing and death is imminent”. And a Democratic strategist said: “You can’t look at what you look at and not feel some apprehension here.”
Sharon Sweda, who heads the party in Ohio’s Lorain County, said she “often” hears Democratic voters worry about the president’s health. She told the Washington Post: “We are all on a ticking clock. But when you’re at his age or at Trump’s age, that clock is ticking a little faster, and that’s a concern for voters.”
If Biden secures reelection, he will be 86 years old by the end of his second term. However, some Democrats fear that he could be forced to pull out before the election starts.
One senior Dem reportedly said: “The worst-case scenario is we get past the nominating process with President Biden as the nominee, and then he’s no longer able to continue on as the nominee. That’s the nightmare scenario for Democrats.”
Other Dems have brushed aside fears about Biden’s age these concerns – pointing out that former President Donald Trump, who is leading the charge for the Republican candidacy, is only three years younger.
A recent poll suggested that, should Biden and Trump stand against each other in re-run of the 2020 election, the race to the White House could go to wire. A 2024 election poll showing former President Trump and President Biden tied at 46% in a hypothetical rematch.
The fact Trump is level with Biden in the polls, despite facing multiple indictments, has surprised some commentators. ABC’s George Stephanopoulos: “It is kind of shocking in a way, that despite all of the baggage that Donald Trump carries, he’s tied with Joe Biden right now.”
“With every passing month, with every new indictment, Donald Trump seems to be consolidating his control over the Republican Party,” he told viewers.
Biden’s backers in the Democratic Party believe the sitting POTUS can beat Trump in an election – if he can convince voters he is fit enough. They say he needs to “overcome a persistent and growing feeling in the electorate that his advanced age is his defining characteristic.”
However, other Dems fear Biden is becoming a liability – and threat to the party’s hopes of staying in power. Longtime Democratic strategist James Carville said: “The voters don’t want this, and that’s in poll after poll after poll.”
He told the New York Times: “You can’t look at what you look at and not feel some apprehension here.”
Meanwhile, Biden and Vice President Harris have been urged to drop out of the race by Washington Post columnist David Ignatius. He wrote: “It’s painful to say that, given my admiration for much of what they have accomplished. But if he and Harris campaign together in 2024, I think Biden risks undoing his greatest achievement — which was stopping Trump.”
Rep. Dean Phillips, a Democrat from Minnesota, told NBC News: “There are other candidates who have a far better chance and don’t have the actuarial risk that the president has.”
