Age and health concerns about Joe Biden

Joe Biden was 78 years and 2 months old when he became the 46th President of the United States. At the time, he was the oldest president ever at inauguration, though this record was later broken by former President Donald Trump when he was inaugurated in 2025. Biden was the first president of the United States to turn 80 while in office.[1][2]

Former Republican president Donald Trump, voters and several members of the Democratic Party showed concern about his age, including his cognitive health. These issues became more talked about during and after the 2020 and 2024 election. Biden would ended his re-election campaign in July 2024.

Background

In February 1988, Biden, who was then a member of the U.S. Senate, had surgery to fix an aneurysm.[3][4] While recovering, he had a pulmonary embolism. After a second aneurysm was surgically fixed in May of that year,[5] Biden's recovery kept him away from the Senate for seven months.[6]

2020 election

In 2018, when Biden was thinking running for president, he talked with friends, aides, and longtime supporters and asked if he was too old to run for the presidency.[7] By 2019, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Politico, CNN, The Atlantic, the Associated Press, and Slate all published articles on Biden's age and if he was healthy enough to run for office.[8] That year, many of the people running against him for the Democratic nomination used his age against Biden, who was 76 at the time.[9]

2024 election

In January 2024, a doctor gave Biden a close to 75% chance of living through a second term based on publicly available information about his health. This is about a 10% better survival chance when compared to other men his age.[10][11]

In a February 2024 poll, Biden's age and health were major issues for 86% of voters generally,[12] up from 76% earlier in 2020.[13] According to another 2024 poll, most of those who voted for Biden in 2020 say they believe he is too old to be a good president.[14]

After finishing the investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents, a special counsel said that Biden would be able to show himself to a jury as an "elderly man with poor memory" and wrote that Biden had some memory problems.[15] While criticizing the counsel's statement during the conference, Biden accidentally called the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as President of Mexico.[16]

Biden's health concerns became a bigger issue after a poor performance by Biden during a debate against Trump in the 2024 presidential election. This led a many commentators and some Democratic lawmakers to pressure Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.[17] After the debate, it was reported that a neurologist specializing in Parkinson's disease had visited the White House eight times in the previous eight months.[18][19][20]

On July 17, 2024, Biden tested positive for COVID-19. He had mild symptoms, including a cough and a runny nose.[21] Pictures of him looking sick while leaving from Air Force One on the way to isolation in Delaware had people expressing more concern about Biden's health.[22]

Biden later ended his candidacy while saying that he would continue serving as president until the end of his term.[23]

Biden continued to serve as president until his term ended on January 20, 2025. At that time, Biden was 82 years old.[24]

Post-presidency health issues

In April 2025, it was said that First Lady Jill Biden and Steve Ricchetti, had the greatest amount of responsibility for hiding Biden's health issues from the public.[25] There were accusations about members of Biden's cabinet, family and the Democratic Party about covering up the truth about Biden's health to the American public.[26] After Biden left office, Jake Tapper wrote a book about Biden's health based on interviews from his staff and friends where he said Biden had health issues and barely met members of his cabinet.[27]

In May 2025, Biden was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer that had metastasized to his bones.[28] That same month, the House Oversight committee, led by Republican Representative James Comer, announced that it had begun an investigation into Biden's health and mental fitness while in office.[29][30]

In June 2025, Barack Obama's former physician, Jeffrey Kuhlman, said in an interview that Biden's doctor should have given Biden a cognitive test during his final year as president because of his age and that the results would have helped the White House and the public understand whether Biden was able to serve another four years.[31] That same month, comedian and actor Dana Carvey said that playing former President Biden during the 50th season of Saturday Night Live was a challenge because he believed that Biden "was compromised mentally."[32][33]

References

  1. ↑ McCormick, John (January 16, 2021). "Biden to Eclipse Reagan as Oldest President as Washington Leadership Ages". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  2. ↑ All of Joe Biden's Homes, In Photos" Town & Country. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  3. ↑ Altman, Lawrence K. (February 23, 1988). "The Doctor's World; Subtle Clues Are Often The Only Warnings Of Perilous Aneurysms". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 28, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2008.
  4. ↑ Altman, Lawrence K. (October 19, 2008). "Many Holes in Disclosure of Nominees' Health". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 25, 2010. Retrieved October 26, 2008.
  5. ↑ "Biden Resting After Surgery For Second Brain Aneurysm". The New York Times. Associated Press. May 4, 1988. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  6. ↑ Woodward, Calvin (August 23, 2008). "V.P. candidate profile: Sen. Joe Biden". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 30, 2019. Retrieved September 7, 2008.
  7. ↑ "Is Biden Too Old to Run for President Again?". Bloomberg News. Associated Press. December 14, 2018. Archived from the original on February 17, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  8. ↑ Shafer, Jack (August 2, 2019). "Is Joe Biden Too Old?". Politico. Archived from the original on July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  9. ↑ Erickson, Bo (June 4, 2019). "When a young Joe Biden used his opponent's age against him - CBS News". CBS News. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Heart attacks, strokes, dementia—can Biden and Trump beat the odds?". The Economist. January 9, 2024. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2024-08-19. Dr Olshansky stated on January 7th, in an article in the Hill, a Washington-based newspaper, that, 'Today his [Mr Biden's] chances of surviving through a second term in office are close to 75% (about 10% better survival than for an average man his age). Similar, although slightly less favourable survival prospects are present for Trump.'
  11. ↑ Olshansky, S. Jay; Barnes, Ben; Willcox, Bradley (January 7, 2024). "Opinion: Is Joe Biden a superager? We're asking all the wrong questions". The Hill.
  12. ↑ Garrity, Kelly (February 11, 2024). "Poll: Overwhelming majority of Americans think Biden is too old for another term". Politico. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Age isn't just a number. It's a profound and growing problem for Biden". Politico. February 8, 2024. Archived from the original on February 9, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  14. ↑ Lerer, Lisa; Igielnik, Ruth (March 3, 2024). "Majority of Biden's 2020 Voters Now Say He's Too Old to Be Effective". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 3, 2024. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  15. ↑ Matza, Max (February 8, 2024). "No charge for Biden over classified documents but report questions memory". BBC News. Archived from the original on February 9, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  16. ↑ Lebowitz, Megan; Alba, Monica; Lee, Carol E. (February 9, 2024). "'How in the hell dare he': Biden strikes defiant tone on special counsel report". NBC News. Archived from the original on February 9, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Rep. Schiff calls on Biden to drop out, citing 'serious concerns' that he can't win". Los Angeles Times. 2024-07-17. Archived from the original on July 19, 2024. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  18. ↑ Helmore, Edward (July 6, 2024). "Biden's doctor reportedly met with top neurologist at White House". The Guardian. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  19. ↑ Baumgaertner, Emily; Baker, Peter (July 8, 2024). "Parkinson's Expert Visited the White House Eight Times in Eight Months". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 18, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  20. ↑ "President Biden not being treated for Parkinson's, White House says, amid questions over doctor's visit". Sky News. July 9, 2024. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  21. ↑ Olorunnipa, Toluse; Nirappil, Fenit (July 20, 2024). "Biden tests positive for covid, cancels events amid mild symptoms". Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 22, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  22. ↑ Kanno-Youngs, Zolan (July 18, 2024). "From Buoyant to Frail: Two Days in Las Vegas as Biden Tests Positive". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 18, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  23. ↑ "Biden steps aside as Democratic presidential nominee". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 21, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  24. ↑ Hubbard, Kaia; Walsh, Joe (April 15, 2025). "Biden says "we can't go on like this as a divided nation" in first public remarks since leaving office". CBS News.
  25. ↑ Smith, Chris (April 4, 2025). "Joe Biden Was "a Shell of Himself" by End of Term. Hunter Biden Didn't Help". Vanity Fair.
  26. ↑ Mesa, Jesus (16 May 2025). "Jake Tapper Draws Liberal Outrage Over New Biden Book". Newsweek. Dev Pragad. Archived from the original on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  27. ↑ Fortinsky, Sarah (15 May 2025). "Jake Sullivan disputes book's claim that Biden forgot his name". The Hill. Nexstar Media Group. Archived from the original on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  28. ↑ "Joe Biden diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer". NPR. May 18, 2025. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  29. ↑ Nobles, Ryan; Zanona, Melanie (21 May 2025). "House Republicans to zero in on autopen use as part of investigation into Biden's health". NBC News. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  30. ↑ Fuchs, Hailey (22 May 2025). "Comer calls Biden's physician, former aides to sit for interviews". Politico. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  31. ↑ Paige Winfield Cunningham (7 June 2025). "Biden's doctor failed to properly assess fitness for office, Obama's doctor says". Washington Post. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
  32. ↑ Derrick Bryson Taylor (1 July 2025). "Dana Carvey Calls His Biden Impression a 'Delicate Thing'". The New York TImes. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  33. ↑ Morrow, Brendan (1 July 2025). "Dana Carvey talks 'delicate' process of playing mentally 'compromised' Biden on 'SNL'". USA Today. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
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