President Joe Biden has acknowledged growing fears about his old age in a new reelection campaign video.
The 81-year-old joked Friday about what is seen as his biggest risk as a presidential candidate.
“Look, I’m not a young guy. That’s not a secret,” he insisted, speaking directly into the camera. “But here’s the deal: I understand how to get things done for the American people.”
Biden then listed the achievements of his first term as president, which he compared to his political rival Donald Trump.
It comes after a stunning special counsel report was published last month highlighting his mental problems.
President Joe Biden has acknowledged growing fears about his old age in a new reelection campaign video
The 81-year-old joked Friday about what is considered his biggest risk as a presidential candidate.
Biden used the new political ad to praise its own handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the cap on insulin prices for older consumers, as well as the passage of infrastructure legislation.
In recognizing Trump, he accused him of taking away “women’s freedom to choose” when it comes to reproductive health.
His latest ad is the first of a $30 million plan that will target key battlegrounds over six weeks.
Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their partners travel around the country to organize political events.
While the president usually jokes about his old age in smaller circles, his latest comments could anger the public after the report labeled him a “well-meaning older man with a bad memory.”
The ad, titled For You, is lighter in tone and could be used to appeal to younger voters.
It will play on channels with a younger demographic, such as ESPN, Adult Swim and Comedy Central.
The clip featured an outtake in which an off-camera voice asks him to do another take.
“Look, I’m very young, energetic and handsome,” Biden says, grinning. “What the hell am I doing this for?”
The Justice Department released its long-awaited investigation into Biden’s mishandling of classified documents on February 8, delivering a scathing assessment of his “diminished faculties” and limited memory.
“Look, I’m not a young guy. That’s not a secret,” Biden insisted, speaking directly into the camera. “But here’s the deal: I understand how to get things done for the American people.”
It comes after a stunning special counsel report was published last month highlighting his mental problems
The president is preparing to face Trump in the upcoming elections, but appears to be trailing him in recent polls
The special counsel’s report on Biden did not recommend filing charges against him, but it delivered a flurry of damaging findings about files found in his garage and the president’s fitness for office.
In interviews with researchers, Biden became confused about the dates he was vice president and could not even remember the year his son Beau died.
Biden angrily lashed out at a news conference — but conflated the presidents of Egypt and Mexico, raising concerns that he is unfit for the job.
According to the report, his cavalier attitude towards classified documents, such as his habit of reading sensitive files to a ghostwriter, posed a significant risk to national security.
One of the reasons they decided not to press charges was because “Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury at trial, as he did during our interview with him, as a likable, well-meaning, older man with a poor memory . ‘.
According to two sources close to the president, Biden would not have been impressed with Attorney General Merrick Garland about the report because it could threaten his presidential campaign.
The president is preparing to face Trump in the upcoming elections, but appears to be trailing him in recent polls.
Both the RealClearPolitics polling average and the Five Thirty-Eight polling average show Trump leading Biden in the majority of recent national polls on the 2024 presidential race.
However, a combination of polls in individual states, mixed with national polls, paints a better picture for the president.
A new New York Times/Siena College poll released Saturday shows Trump leading Biden 48 percent to 44 percent.
While a recent CBS News poll showed Trump leading Biden 52 percent to 48 percent. Biden did lead in a Morning Consult poll, but by one point: 44 percent to 43.
