Houston, April 25 (AFP\/APP): He won the most votes of any US presidential candidate ever last time around, but even many supporters feel unsure about sending the 80-year-old Joe Biden back to the White House for another term.<\/p>\n
“He’s just a little old,” said Laura Miranda from New Jersey.
\nBiden is already the oldest-ever US president. He would be 86 by the end of a second stint on the job.<\/p>\n
“But I don’t know who else it would be,” the 31-year-old said, referring to the dearth of nationally popular Democratic Party possibles.<\/p>\n
“He may be in good health now, but who knows, in six years’ time how he’s going to be,” said voter Steven Hjupp from Connecticut.<\/p>\n
“It’s a very bleak situation,” he said of Democrats’ 2024 efforts against possible contenders such as former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida governor Ron DeSantis — and Donald Trump, who has already announced his own bid.<\/p>\n
Even voters who approve of Biden’s job performance over the last two years — a period encompassing Covid, the war in Ukraine, inflation and abortion rows — expressed concerns about giving him another four years in the White House.<\/p>\n
“Biden is, I don’t know, 100, 120 years old,” joked James Everett Newman, a firefighter in Houston, Texas. “I wish we could have a younger viable candidate for president.”<\/p>\n
“At the same time, we don’t have that many younger alternatives because the Democratic Party has done a poor job cultivating younger leadership,” the 34-year-old added.<\/p>\n
“I like what Biden’s done. I think he’s done a really good job,” said 72-year-old Roger Tilton in Washington.<\/p>\n
Still, the retiree thinks it’s time for Biden to move on.<\/p>\n
“I personally wish he wouldn’t run again,” Tilton said.
\n“Mentally, I’m certainly not as acute as I was 20 years ago, and there’s no way he is either.”<\/p>\n
First-time voter Avery Gonzales said Biden was “probably a little antiquated” for the job.<\/p>\n
“Maybe we should have some younger blood running things, rather than just old people,” the 19-year-old told AFP in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n
Others say Biden’s age should not disqualify him if voters think he is otherwise fit for the job.<\/p>\n
“As long as you are healthy, and you are able to comprehend and use your head like you’re supposed to, age is not a factor,” said New York Biden supporter Rodney Grimes, 59.<\/p>\n
Aisha Smith, a 42-year-old in Houston, said she thinks Biden was brave to run for president again at his age, pointing out that there are elderly members of Congress and Supreme Court justices — some are in their 70s and 80s.<\/p>\n
“I think age is only a number,” she said.<\/p>\n
For Jemima Homawoo, who was out walking near the White House Tuesday morning, if Biden “feels like he’s able to do the job, then I think it’s perfectly fine.”<\/p>\n
But the 33-year-old contractor still has reservations.<\/p>\n
“I would prefer, honestly, if an opportunity was given to someone who is a bit younger and may have fresh ideas for the country,” she said.<\/p>\n
Scott Shinderman, 52, told AFP in Los Angeles that the prospect of a Trump-Biden rematch showed there was a certain amount of what he called sclerosis in the US political system, but added he would pick Biden at the ballot box, despite concerns over his advancing years.<\/p>\n
“You can’t be ageist, obviously. But…he’s not as sharp as he used to be. That’s evident in the way he speaks.<\/p>\n
“I don’t know if that affects his decision-making. As long as you have good people around you, sometimes that’s good enough.”<\/p>\n
For Republican supporters, feelings on Biden’s candidacy are much more clear-cut.<\/p>\n
“I think it’s a terrible idea,” said Riva Fernandez, in the beach town of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.<\/p>\n
“I really hope DeSantis wins,” the 54-year-old said. “He’s the man.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Houston, April 25 (AFP\/APP): He won the most votes of any US presidential candidate ever last time around, but even many supporters feel unsure about sending the 80-year-old Joe Biden back to the White House for another term. “He’s just a little old,” said Laura […]<\/p>\n
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