At 80 years old, President Joe Biden insists he's fit for another four-year term in office. But more than five decades ago, Biden criticized an opponent in his race for Senate for being too old—at 63.
Biden, then 29, played the age card extensively in his 1972 campaign for Senate. Biden said his opponent, Republican Cale Boggs, was too old to understand modern issues. His campaign referred to the Republican as "dear old dad," according to a CNN report.
"To Cale Boggs an unfair tax was the 1948 poll tax. To Joe Biden an unfair tax is the 1972 income tax," a Biden campaign ad read. Biden won the election and turned 30, the required age to serve in the Senate, days later.
CNN's revelation that Biden criticized Boggs, who was almost 20 years younger then than Biden is now, comes as the president faces concerns from his base about his age. His status as an octogenarian was among the worries reported by staunch Democrats who were interviewed by the Washington Post in recent weeks.
Biden faces the lowest support from within his own party for reelection among recent presidents. Just 38 percent of Democrats said the party should nominate Biden for reelection, compared with 57 percent who want to find another candidate, according to an average of polls conducted throughout his term published by the Post Monday. Former president Donald Trump commanded more than 70 percent support among Republicans.