A week and a half before their first presidential debate, President Joe Biden and Donald Trump have begun addressing what seems to be a significant concern for the American public: their age and cognitive abilities. Biden, 81, who frequently finds himself on the defensive regarding this issue, took the initiative on Friday by wishing Trump a happy 78th birthday.
"Happy 78th birthday, Donald," Biden tweeted. "Take it from one old guy to another: age is just a number." He attached a sarcastic clip sarcastically highlighting "78 of Trump's historic achievements," His campaign spokesperson added: "On behalf of America, here’s our early birthday gift for your 79th: ensuring you never become president again."
This marks the first time Biden has directly attempted to shift the age debate, which has clearly been a disadvantage for him in the polls, to Trump. His goal is to frame the issue as "a battle between two old men, one of whom wants to destroy American democracy and implement a federal abortion ban."
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U.S. President Joe Biden speaks at the 80th anniversary of D-Day
(Photo: Benoit Tessier /Reuters)
Just days earlier, Biden was filmed freezing for several seconds during an event at the White House, and later that evening, he appeared to stumble over several words in a speech. On the flip side, Trump got confused due to a teleprompter malfunction during a campaign rally in Las Vegas, leading to an incoherent monologue about his hatred for sharks.
Over the weekend, the official X account of the Republican Party circulated an edited video that created the impression Biden had aimlessly wandered away from a group of G7 leaders at their summit in Italy. The full clip shows Biden leaving the group to compliment a team of paratroopers who had completed an aerial demonstration for the leaders, but the edited clip garnered millions of views and even made the front page of the conservative-leaning New York Post. At a campaign rally in Detroit on Monday, Trump used the edited clip, telling the laughing crowd that "Biden went to look at trees in Italy."
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Donald Trump speaks after New York judge who ordered him to pay $355 million and barred him from running New York businesses for fraudulently inflating net worth
(Photo: Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
A few minutes later, Trump demanded Biden undergo a cognitive test, claiming he himself had taken one in 2018. "Doc Ronny Johnson. Does everyone know Ronny Johnson? He said I’m the healthiest president in history." Trump was referring to his former White House physician. One problem: His last name is Jackson, not Johnson.
Biden appeared sharp at a campaign event in Los Angeles early Sunday morning, joined by former President Barack Obama and Hollywood stars including Julia Roberts and George Clooney. The event raised $28 million, the highest single amount ever for a Democratic candidate. During the event, Biden warned: "The next president will have the opportunity to appoint at least two Supreme Court justices. This is one of the greatest threats of another Trump term. There has never been a Supreme Court so disconnected."
The first televised debate of this election cycle between Biden and Trump will take place on June 27 in Atlanta, under rules published on Monday and agreed upon by both campaigns: it will last 90 minutes, without an audience, and each candidate will have a notebook and a bottle of water on the podium. The microphones will be muted for the entire debate, only being activated when it is a candidate's turn to speak.