A good performance could assist in allaying such worries and drawing voters’ attention to matters of policy. A lackluster showing may hinder fundraising and propel Trump upward in the polls.
Regarding their age and endurance, both guys are being questioned. 78-year-old Trump has a history of uttering bizarre claims and tumbling over his words while campaigning.
Biden stumbles often, has an awkward walk, and alternates between fluent, well-delivered speeches and hurried, garbled statements in the same day while making public engagements.
Prior to the election on November 5, voters who are still unsure of their choice prioritize mental health, and they are more concerned about Biden, according to a recent Reuters-Ipsos survey.
This year, a different Reuters-Ipsos survey revealed that 78% of participants—including 71% of Democrats—thought Biden was too elderly to hold public office. Regarding Trump, around 53% agreed.
Political rivals and the right media have constantly attacked Biden’s age, using a concoction of authentic, fraudulent, and deceptively altered video footage to make him seem weak and unstable.
With varying degrees of success, the White House and the Biden campaign have resisted the initiative.
Knowing that this debate might make or break his campaign, Biden has limited himself to almost a week of “debate camp” in the western Maryland highlands of Camp David presidential retreat, where he will stay until the debate day, when he departs for Atlanta with his closest aides.
The objective is to contrast Trump’s sometimes chaotic 2017–21 administration with that of a smart, stable leader with a track record of accomplishment, while emphasizing policy differences on abortion rights, democratic values, and budgetary responsibility.
In order to do this, Biden spends hours every day getting ready and attending his regular security briefings.
The stakes are quite high, and many Democrats are worried about how well Biden will do.
“The age issue is undoubtedly a challenge and a barrier for Biden,” a Democratic source close to the White House said. “I believe the key question is always: Does he exude confidence and strength? All he has to do, in my opinion, is show that he is confident and in control of his agenda when performing on stage.
The discussion will be held at an empty CNN studio in Atlanta. Onstage, the guys may not carry printed notes.
A Florida lawyer and Biden contributor named John Morgan expressed his preference for Biden to bring up the issue of age straight away in the debate.
“Talk about his physical and mental fitness compared to the other guy,” is what Biden ought to say. Putting Trump to the test on a Peloton bike, he should show the nation who is the most physically fit and capable. Not kidding,” Morgan said.
BIDEN PROTECTION
The goal of Biden’s team’s effort has been to shield the president, who has spent the majority of his decades in public office engaging in backstabbing with reporters and slapping hands with colleagues throughout his lengthy tenure in the Senate.
To deflect attention from his halting step, aides now walk along him on his route to his chopper.
To reduce the chance of a slip-up in front of the cameras, he now takes a shorter flight of steps to enter Air Force One and wears cozy shoes with soft soles.
One former official at the White House remarked that the rooms are more decorative than functional.
“All these things that they do … maybe mitigate risk for aesthetic reasons, (but) they don’t necessarily help him,” stated the previous official. “They all add up to this over-handling that makes him look more feeble than he actually is.”
To improve his reputation and dispel worries about his age, Biden’s adversaries on the left argue that he need to interact with the public and media more often.
It’s not about age, according to his friends.
The issue in this election is not age. The other man and Joe are almost the same age. At a Philadelphia speech on Monday, First Lady Jill Biden said, “This election is about character, wisdom, and ability.”
Biden’s job and schedule are still heavy.
Biden’s travel in 2023 was compared to that of Presidents Obama and Trump in their third terms in office by the Boston Globe. According to the report, in 2023, Biden traveled to 29 states, while Trump visited 30 and Obama visited 31, respectively.
Based on data provided by former CBS News White House reporter Mark Knoller, Biden has visited 21 states at least once so far in 2024.
He made two separate journeys to Europe earlier this month, going to a G7 conference in Italy and D-Day commemoration ceremonies in France.
