Biden pushes back on concerns about age and low approval amid 2024 reelection bid: ‘I feel good’
President Joe Biden on Wednesday brushed off concerns about his age and sagging approval rating, saying voters will have to judge “whether or not I have it” in his first public comments addressing his 2024 reelection bid.
Speaking at a Rose Garden press conference with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Biden was asked to respond to Americans who believe he shouldn’t run again. The president was measured in his response, noting that he may not be the only candidate to take on his predecessor, Donald Trump, but that he knows the “danger he presents to our democracy.”
Biden, who would be 86 at the end of a second term, said he “can’t even say that number” referring to his age. He said it “doesn’t even register” with him.
But voters will be the ultimate decider about whether he’s too old for office, he added. His answer marks his first public comments on the 2024 race after Tuesday’s launch — and his first addressing the obstacles hovering over his reelection bid.
“I respect them taking a hard look at it. I’ve taken a hard look at it as well — I took a hard look at it before I decided to run,” Biden said. “I feel good. And I feel excited about the prospects, and I think we’re on the verge of really turning the corner in a way we haven’t in a long time.”
Biden also said he has seen the poll numbers and is in a similar position to past presidents running for reelection.
“What I keep hearing about is that I’m between 42 and 46 percent favorable rating. But everybody running for reelection in this time has been in the same position. There’s nothing new about that. You’re making it sound like Biden’s really underwater,” he said.
The president then touted specific legislative accomplishments and economic growth.
“And the reason I’m running again is there’s a job to finish.”
Of the three presidents who failed to win a second term in recent decades, two had approval ratings roughly equal to Biden’s. But former Presidents Barack Obama and Ronald Reagan also hovered around Biden’s numbers, and both were reelected.