Americans divided over Biden's reelection as president turns 80

• Published date: 23 November 2022
• Publication title: Philippines News agency

After leading Democrats to one of the strongest midterm election showings for an in-power party, US President Joe Biden faces mounting doubts over whether he should run for reelection.

Those have only grown after the president turned 80 this weekend, making him the US's sole octogenarian leader, further raising questions of how old is too old for an American president.

The former senator and vice-president was already the oldest person to lead the US when he assumed office at 78. The previous record-holder, Ronald Reagan, left office after two terms at the age of 77.

Should Biden win reelection in 2024, he would be 82 at the start of his second term and 86 at its conclusion.

Successive polls have shown that Democrats have strong internal disagreements over whether the commander-in-chief should again seek America's highest office.

Just half of all Democrats -- 51% -- want Biden to seek reelection, according to a Nov. 22 Quinnipiac University poll.

The findings are on par with a survey Quinnipiac conducted in August, showing no real differences in attitudes after Biden led Democrats to successfully defend their Senate majority and prevent a catastrophic onslaught of Republican victories in the House of Representatives known as a "red wave" in this year's midterms.

The White House, for its part, has maintained the president intends to seek office again but has stopped short of officially saying he will do so.

Biden hinted in a post-midterms press conference that he will make an official announcement one way or the other early next year.

For some, it is already too late.

Just one block away from the executive mansion, Robert, a 91-year-old Washington, DC resident who declined to provide his surname, said that despite Biden doing a "great job" in his first two years, "I think it's time for a younger, newer candidate to come up."

"I certainly approve of what he's done. But I think it's probably a good time to get somebody younger in that position," the self-described Democrat told Anadolu Agency.

While concerns about Biden's age have never been in short supply, they have become regular cannon fodder for Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, who used Biden's mental and...