President Joe Biden privately admits he feels “tired” despite publicly maintaining he’s fit for office at 80 years old, an upcoming book about the White House claims, according to an excerpt obtained by The Guardian.
Franklin Foer makes the claim in his upcoming book, “The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden’s White House and the Struggle for America’s Future,” The Guardian reported Tuesday. The White House has been tight-lipped about Biden’s age and has defended the president by pointing to his experience and track record. Foer reportedly doesn’t cite a specific source from inside the White House, but the publisher states the book goes off of “unparalleled access to the tight inner circle of advisers who have surrounded Biden for decades.”
“His advanced years were a hindrance, depriving him of the energy to cast a robust public presence or the ability to easily conjure a name,” Foer writes, according to The Guardian. “It was striking that he took so few morning meetings or presided over so few public events before 10am. His public persona reflected physical decline and time’s dulling of mental faculties that no pill or exercise regime can resist.” (RELATED: Retractable Stairs, Tennis Shoes, Other Concessions Show Biden’s Old Age Creeping Up)
“In private, he would occasionally admit that he felt tired,” Foer reportedly adds.
US President Joe Biden speaks about lowering healthcare costs, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on August 29, 2023. (SAUL LOEB / AFP) (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
A majority of Americans, 77%, consider Biden’s age to be a top concern ahead of his 2024 reelection bid, according to an Associated Press/NORC poll released Monday. About 89% of Republicans and 69% of Democrats are worried about the president’s old age leading up to the 2024 election.
Of the 77% worried about Biden’s age, 85% believe the president should not run for releection in 2024, according to the poll. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre downplayed concerns about the president’s age in a Tuesday interview on CNN, saying reporters have a hard time “keep[ing] up” with Biden on trips.
Concerns about Biden’s age have increased throughout his presidency: Earlier in 2023, the president began using a different staircase that is closer to the ground at the back of Air Force One. Biden also switched to wearing sneakers in recent months for increased comfort.
Biden has addressed his age numerous times throughout his presidency, and has asked for voters to judge “whether or not I have it or don’t have it.”
“With regard to age, I can’t even say, I guess how old I am, I can’t even say the number,” Biden said in April. “It doesn’t register with me. But the only thing I can say is that one of the things that people are going to find out is, they’re going to see a race, and they’re going to judge, whether or not I have it or don’t have it. I respect them taking a hard look at it. I’d take a hard look at it as well, I took a hard look at it before I decided to run.”
“I feel good and I feel excited about the prospects, and I think we’re on the verge of really turning the corner in a way we haven’t in a long time.”