Politics

‘Doesn’t Look A Day Over 90’: Conservatives Celebrate Biden’s Birthday With A Look Back At His Year Of Gaffes

President Biden Highlights The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law That Funds Replacement Of The Baltimore And Potomac Tunnel

(Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Reagan Reese White House Correspondent
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The nation’s oldest president ever just extended his lead, as President Joe Biden celebrates his 81st birthday on Monday.

While the White House continues to dismiss concerns about Biden’s age and fitness for the Oval Office, conservatives and prominent media personalities are celebrating the day by looking back at the president’s gaffes and mishaps that demonstrate an alleged decline due to advanced age.

“Today is Joe Biden’s 81st Birthday. But you know what they say… age is just a number. That seems especially true when you consider how energetic, athletic, and vigorous our current President is,” Republican Texas Rep. Wesley Hunt sarcastically tweeted alongside a compilation video of Biden tripping over a sandbag at the U.S. Air Force Academy commencement and tumbling off his bike during a leisurely ride.

While handing out diplomas at the U.S. Air Force Academy commencement in June 2023, Biden accidentally fell over on stage. After the Secret Service rushed over to help Biden, the White House said the president was “fine” and attributed his trip to a sandbag left on stage. In the same month, the president fell off his bike after his foot got caught in the pedal after trying to bring the vehicle to a stop.

To commemorate Biden’s 81st, the Republican National Committee’s rapid response account tweeted a two-minute video titled “120 seconds of Biden showing he’s totally fit to be president.” The video highlighted Biden gaffes including moments where the president lost his train of thought or whispered a jumbled answer. (RELATED: ‘Treated Like A Toddler’: Biden Complained About Aides’ Response After Gaffe In Ukraine, Book Claims)

Leading up to his 81st birthday, the president committed several gaffes that raised concerns about his stamina. Biden said in June that his administration plans to build a transoceanic railroad spanning thousands of miles across the Pacific and Indian Oceans. While attending a campaign reception in September, he told donors an anecdote about why he decided to run for president but then repeated the same story, nearly word for word, a few minutes later. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre then defended the apparent gaffe, saying the president was speaking “passionately” causing him to repeat the story multiple times.

The president faced backlash for another slip-up that occurred during a September gala to honor Sister Norma Pimentel, the executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley. During an address, Biden praised the “Congressional Black Caucus” instead of the “Congressional Hispanic Caucus.”

Biden also misremembered how many grandchildren he had not once, but rather three times during a September campaign speech.

In an effort to keep Biden on his feet and from falling, the president began wearing tennis shoes throughout 2023 to avoid slipping and takes shorter stairs up to board Air Force One, according to Axios. He also began attending physical therapy sessions in 2021 to improve his balance.

As Biden’s age appears to be causing more and more errors, Americans are growing concerned about the president’s stamina and ability to lead the country. Seventy-seven percent of Americans said in September that the president is too old to govern effectively. A record-low number of Americans, 28%, say the president inspires confidence as the country’s leader.

A few weeks after the Axios report, Biden nearly fell while walking up a set of stairs to take the stage at a Philadelphia event promoting the creation of clean hydrogen hubs.

“The electorate’s wariness about Biden’s aging is likely rooted in people’s real-life experiences,” National Review senior political correspondent Jim Geraghty wrote Monday. “Almost every American has seen a grandparent or parent succumb to the ravages of age. We know that some people age well and retain their health and mental sharpness as they get older, while some don’t; and sometimes those who lose their acuity decline rapidly”

Last year, the White House reportedly kept the president’s birthday celebrations low-key in an effort to downplay that the president was turning 80 years old. Geraghty wrote Monday that he expected the same. For the president’s 81st birthday, he had two events on his public schedule: his daily briefing as well as the annual pardoning of the National Thanksgiving Turkey. Biden and the first lady will travel to Nantucket, Massachusetts, Tuesday to celebrate his birthday, which Jean-Pierre said will include a coconut cake.

“Biden, lots of Americans see lots of reasons to worry — the light schedule; the rarity of sit-down interviews; the sudden angry outbursts; the odd, confused, and erratic behavior at public events; the shuffling feet and occasional falls; the meandering stories, with his voice trailing off; and the frequent off-the-cuff declarations that his own staff won’t allow him to answer questions. He’s not the same man he was when he was vice president or senator, and we can all see it,” Geraghty wrote.

Even some members of Biden’s own party are showing concern over the president’s ability to govern let alone run for re-election in 2024. Less than a year until the 2024 election, Democrats are reportedly worried about Biden’s chances, pointing to his age, his administration’s failure to sell his achievements and his campaign’s apparent lack of direction, the Washington Post reported. (RELATED: Biden Staffers Ramps Up ‘Operation Bubble Wrap’ To Keep President In One Piece Before Election Day: REPORT)

While both conservatives and Democrats alike sound the alarm around Biden’s 81st, the White House remains firm that Biden is the right man for the job.

“Because of President Biden’s decades of experience in public service and deep relationships with leaders in Congress, he passed legislation that has helped to create more than 14 million jobs, lower prescription drug costs, invest in America’s infrastructure and technology and led to the strongest economic recovery in the developed world,” Ben LaBolt, White House communications director, told the New York Times.

“He has revitalized alliances on the world stage — cultivated over many years — to promote America’s interests and respond forcefully when global crises arise,” LaBolt continued.

But no matter how much the White House tries to overshadow Biden’s declining state with his wisdom and accomplishments, some still remain grim about Biden’s 81st.

“Biden turns 81… doesn’t look a day over 90,” Vince Coglianese, Daily Caller editorial director and WMALDC radio host wrote Monday.