Biden, the oldest president ever to take office, acknowledges concerns about his age: 'I could drop dead tomorrow'

President Joe Biden, the oldest president ever to take office in the United States, reportedly told Al Sharpton last month that he plans to run for reelection in 2024. That seems a long way off, especially in light of Biden's suggestion in an interview that aired on Sunday that he "could drop dead tomorrow."

An age-old question

In a recent interview for MSNBC's "The Sunday Show," host Jonathan Capehart mentioned how his aunt Gloria had been a big Biden supporter in 2020 but now has reservations about him running in 2024 on account of his age. Biden is, after all, turning 80 in November, and the CDC announced in August that the average life expectancy for men in the U.S. in 2021 was 73.2.

Capehart asked Biden to explain why people like Gloria, wary about his age, should vote for him in 2024 — even if former President Donald Trump doesn't run again.

Biden replied, "I think it's a legitimate thing to be concerned about anyone's age, including mine. I think that's totally legitimate," adding that "the best way to make the judgment is to, uh, to, you know, watch me."

The president outlined telltale signs prospective voters should look for: "Am I slowing up? Am I don't have the same pace? Or, you know, uh, and that old joke, you know, uh ... everybody talks about the, you know, the new 70s, 50s, and all that stuff. You know, I, you know, it could be, I'm a great respecter of fate."

Having meandered onto the topic of fate, Biden warned, "I could get a disease tomorrow. I could drop dead tomorrow."

"In terms of my energy level, in terms of how much I am able to do, I think people should look and say, 'Is he still have the same passion for what he's doing?' And if they think I do and I can do it, then that's fine," he said. "If they don't, they should vote against me,"

Realizing he had suggested that those who are concerned about his age shouldn't vote for him, Biden corrected himself, saying, "Not against me. They should encourage me not to go. But that's not how I feel."

Asked About His Age, Joe Biden Says He's Fine But "Could Get A Disease Tomorrow" And "Drop Dead"youtu.be

'Watch me': Looking for signs of cognitive impairment

It's not just Capehart's aunt paying close attention to Biden's potential mental deterioration.

An August Issues & Insights/TIPP poll revealed that 59% of respondents were "concerned" about Biden's mental health. 36% stated they were "very concerned."

While Republicans expressed greater overall concern, 39% of Democrats nevertheless noted their apprehension.

Biden's so-called gaffes are myriad and responsible, in part, for feeding these apprehensions.

Historian and classicist Victor Davis Hanson wrote earlier this month, "Biden's messaging is even more confused than his medium. On any given day, Biden may impetuously announce that U.S. soldiers will defend the soil of Taiwan, or that the 'killer' Russian President Vladimir Putin, unhinged head of nuclear Russia, must be removed from office promptly."

Hanson noted that whereas former President Donald Trump's "leftist opponents sought to remove him by the 25th Amendment," "the same [leftist] arm-chair psychiatrists offer no such worries about Biden's clear mental decline."

In answer to the question, "How is your mental focus?" posed during a recent "60 Minutes" interview, Biden said, "Look, I have trouble even mentioning, even saying to myself, my own head, the number of years. I no more think of myself as being as old as I am than fly."

This response was the subject of much scrutiny and ridicule.

When responding to a question about why certain Democrat candidates do not want Biden on the campaign trail with them, the president provided an answer that similarly devolved into incoherence.

Gaffes, or clumsy social errors, are not the same as failures of memory, comprehension, or will.

In late September, Biden looked about the room for the late Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.), who died this summer in a car crash. Biden was, or ought to have been, cognizant of Walorski's death, considering he previously issued an official statement in which he offered her family his condolences.

In June, concerns were expressed over Biden's cognitive well-being and autonomy when he accidentally flashed a note card containing detailed instructions delineating his every action, including when to sit down and whom to address.

"I hope this is not true because if it is we need to ask who's in charge of our president," wrote activist Sarah Idan.

Former Trump White House adviser Stephen Miller: "White House staff clearly has exceptionally low confidence in Biden’s cognitive abilities. If GOP gains house they will need to hold hearings on Biden’s diminished capacity and subpoena aides to get their testimony under oath."

TheBlaze previously noted that Biden had also:

• suggested that the 2018 Parkland, Florida, mass shooting had taken place in 1918;
• spoke to the "selfishness" (contra "selflessness") of American troops;
• claimed to have cancer in a speech about climate change;
• demanded a regime change in Russia, which the White house soon had to walk back; and
• mistook Ukraine for Iran during his State of the Union address.

Dead weight?

According to an Oct. 18 Reuters/Ipsos poll, 54% of Americans disapprove of the president.

A Morning Consult/Politico poll conducted in late September indicated that 45% of registered voters said Biden should "definitely not" run again, and an additional 19% said he should "probably not run."

A New York Times/Siena College poll conducted in July showed that 64% of Democrat voters would prefer someone other than Biden. The number of voters under the age of 30 wanting someone else was far higher, figuring at 94%.

Numerous Democrat politicians have sided with Capehart's aunt in publicly voicing their opposition to or skepticism about Biden running again in 2024, including Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), and Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio).