Why Joe Biden's 80th Birthday Is Going To Be A Quiet Occasion
On November 20, 2021, Joe Biden was the first president to turn 79 in the White House (via CBS News). The year before that, just before he took office, he held the distinction of being the oldest incumbent president ever (via WTTW). And now, he's about to become the first commander in chief to turn 80 while serving in the top job in the land.
The Democrat being the oldest president ever to be sworn into office has some people inside his administration dreading his upcoming birthday, as the day only highlights this fact. Of course, Biden's age has always been a concern, especially of late, with the leader inquiring after the whereabouts of a recently-deceased legislator, Jackie Walorski, and after a long series of gaffes during his presidency. Examples include the Delaware native calling Vice President Kamala Harris "President Harris" and mixing up Harris with his own wife.
Indeed, that Biden would be 82 were he to be elected to a second term could be a reason why Democrats aren't particularly keen on him running again in 2024 (via Politico and The Hill). With recent unflattering polls saying as much as a backdrop, it may not come as a huge surprise that on November 20th, the President may be planning a very low-key celebration of his birthday.
Joe Biden isn't a big birthday guy anyway
As Politico reports, Joe Biden's supporters and aides fear that the President's upcoming 80th birthday will supply critics with easy ammo against the would-be second termer. Jokes are a given — harsh scrutiny of the leader's inevitable slips of the tongue would be worse.
To avoid shining a spotlight on the looming date, the commander in chief is probably not going to want a big deal being made over his birthday, according to insiders. But Politico points out that Biden hasn't necessarily been one to throw overblown celebrations on birthdays past, either, noting that no definitive plans have been shared with the media yet. Consider that on his 75th birthday, the former vice president was working, speaking at Proctors in Pennsylvania (via The Daily Gazette).
Likewise, Biden's wife, First Lady Jill Biden, seems content with small birthdays. Her 70th in June of 2021 was marked with a bike ride near the couple's Delaware home, according to Delaware Online.
Still, no matter how minimally the first family plans to celebrate the President's 80th, they certainly can't stop people around the world from wishing him a happy birthday — or making cracks at his expense during this crucial time before the next election cycle.