President Joe Biden's age (79.6 years) is roughly double his job approval rating (39.9 percent). He'll turn 80 after the midterm elections, which are shaping up to be an unrelenting disaster for Democrats. It's no wonder that so many journalists and other members of Biden's party are increasingly reluctant to endorse him for reelection in 2024.
The following is a collection of statements from Democrats and liberal pundits acknowledging what most Americans already know: Biden is too old for the job he spent his entire life trying to attain. Enjoy!
"Let me put this bluntly: Joe Biden should not run for reelection in 2024. He is too old."
— Mark Leibovich (The Atlantic)
"Democrats need fresh, bold leadership for the 2024 presidential race. ... That can’t be Biden."
Even Biden supporters "retain an intense feeling of unease about a visibly aging 79-year-old."
— New York magazine
"He just seems old."
— Senior administration official (The Atlantic)
"I think he’s tired—and I don’t blame him, I’d be tired too at his age with the career he’s had."
— Milan Ramsey, Democratic voter from California (Associated Press)
"I just don’t know. He’s getting up there. I don’t know if it’s the best step for the Democratic Party."
— Julie Hersch, Democratic voter from Pennsylvania (Wall Street Journal)
"You can run for president at 35. I don’t know why we would need the president to be over 75."
— Katie Smith, college student in Wisconsin who attended a Biden event in March (Wall Street Journal)
"The presidency is a monstrously taxing job and the stark reality is the president would be closer to 90 than 80 at the end of a second term, and that would be a major issue."
— David Axelrod, former Obama strategist (New York Times)
"To say our country was on the right track would flagrantly depart from reality. [Biden] should announce his intent not to seek reelection in '24 right after the midterms."
— Steve Simeonidis, Democratic National Committee member from Miami (New York Times)
"President Biden says he’ll run for reelection in 2024. But some Americans don’t believe him—and moreover, many don’t want him to throw his hat into the ring for a second term."
— FiveThirtyEight
"I don’t think President Biden is going to run—not simply because of his age, but he’s been doing this for a very long time. You can hear it in his voice. You don’t hear the same level of energy and enthusiasm."
— Derrick Jackson, Democratic state legislator from Georgia (Wall Street Journal)
"I need an equivalent of Ron DeSantis, a Democrat, but not a 70- or 80-year-old—a younger person ... Someone who knows what worked for you in 1980 is not going to work for you in 2022 or 2024."
— Alex Wyshyvanuk, Democratic voter from Maryland (New York Times)
"I’m 66 and I’m fucking exhausted. ... I can’t even imagine being 78, 79, 80, 81, 82 and starting again. Just waking up is a chore."
— Longtime Biden buddy (New York magazine)
"I get asked to run for things—are you kidding? I’m 64. ... We need youth. So I kind of admire him wanting to take this on and I hope he’ll pass the torch."
— Ann Hart, Democratic Party county co-chairwoman from Iowa (New York Times)
— Don Lemon to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre (CNN)
"There is a lot of time between now and 2024."
— Nikki Fried, Democratic candidate for governor in Florida, on backing Biden's reelection (New York Times)
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
— Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.), on backing Biden's reelection (CNN)
"Do I think [Biden] is the best candidate ever? No. Maybe I’d be more interested in someone like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez than him."
— Garr Van Orden, Democratic voter from Utah (Wall Street Journal)
