Joe Biden Tackles Criticism of His Age Head-On

President Joe Biden has taken on concerns about his age head-on in a new campaign ad and social media post as his reelection campaign begins to accelerate.

While they have yet to be formally declared the presumptive nominees, Biden and former President Donald Trump are the overwhelming favorites to secure the 2024 nominations for the Democratic and Republican parties, respectively, setting up a 2020 rematch in November's general election. In recent months, polls for the hypothetical match-up have overall averaged out to show the two candidates neck-and-neck with voters.

As he was 78 at the time of his inauguration in January 2021, Biden is the oldest individual in U.S. history to hold the office of the presidency. Throughout his term, concerns about his advanced age have persisted among voters, who have frequently told pollsters they believe he is too old to be president and that he should not run for a second term, despite there being little to no historical precedent for such a move.

Republican opponents of the president have, in turn, attempted to position age as a key argument against Biden's presidency, citing some instances in speeches where he appears to flub lines or mix-up terms. Some have even gone so far as to allege that he is secretly suffering from senility or dementia. Supporters of Biden have countered these claims, highlighting the president's numerous accomplishments and noting Trump's own age-related struggles. Trump is only four years younger than Biden, and opponents have cited numerous recent instances of slurred speech, mispronunciation, and mixed-up names in public addresses and rallies to argue that his cognitive health is worse than his Democratic rival.

As Biden's reelection begins to accelerate heading into the spring, he has taken on the concerns about his age head-on, in a Sunday post to the official presidential account on X, formerly Twitter, and in a new campaign ad.

"The issue facing our nation isn't how old we are, it's how old our ideas are," the post to X read, echoing a statement shared during his State of the Union (SOTU) address on Thursday. "Hate, anger, revenge, retribution are among the oldest of ideas. And you can't lead America with ancient ideas that only take us back."

In the new ad that was released on Saturday, Biden begins by stating, "I'm not a young guy. That's no secret. But, here's the deal. I understand how to get things done for the American people." The president then proceeds to lay out the various high-profile accomplishments of his first term, including the passage of a major infrastructure bill, lowering prescription drug costs, capping insulin prices for seniors, and leading the U.S. pandemic recovery efforts.

The video also ends on a humorous note, with Biden questioning the need for an ad addressing concerns about his age in a bit presented as coming in response for a request to do one more take.

"Look, I'm very young, energetic, and handsome!" Biden says in the ad. "What the hell am I doing this for?"

Newsweek reached out to the Biden campaign via email on Sunday for comment. Any responses received will be added to this story in a later update.