Biden clings to candidacy in battleground state amid age concerns

“I promise you I’m OK,” said U.S. President Joe Biden, standing before a small crowd of supporters packed into a Detroit restaurant, including a 4-year-old boy with a halo of blond hair named Beau, after the president’s beloved late son.

Little Beau looked up at the 81-year-old president from his mother’s lap and laughed as Biden spoke at an automotive-themed restaurant in Detroit’s wealthy western suburbs.

Biden joked about his age — “I’m only 41,” he said, laughing — but the tone of Friday’s campaign tour of the key state of Michigan was serious just weeks after a disastrous debate performance raised concerns about his fitness for reelection.

“I’m running and we’re going to win!” he said to cheers hours later in a packed high school gymnasium in downtown Detroit.

Biden also used the rally before 2,000 enthusiastic supporters to lay out a series of campaign promises, including enshrining abortion in law, increasing voter access, expanding entitlement programs, banning assault weapons, reining in housing costs and more — all while, he said, “making the rich pay their fair share,” which he defined as a 25% minimum tax on billionaires.

He also threw an unprecedented amount of shade, both serious and spurious, at his 78-year-old Republican opponent, quipping, “Trump won’t get out of his golf cart.”

But also: “It’s time for us to stop treating politics as entertainment and reality shows,” he said. “Another four years of Donald Trump is a very serious thing.”

Those strong words come amid growing concerns about his prospects — not from his detractors, but from within his Democratic Party. On Friday, en route to Michigan, campaign officials pushed back and brushed aside the concerns.

“He’s totally focused on proving that he’s the best person possible to take on Donald Trump in November,” Biden campaign spokesman Michael Tyler said, speaking to reporters on Air Force 1.

And in Washington, Biden’s allies are on the attack in his defense.

“Joe Biden is focused on the future of this country,” South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn said on NBC News’ Today show. Clyburn is a staunch supporter who is credited with helping turn out the Black vote for Biden in 2020. “And I always say the best predictor of future performance is past performance.”

But not all Democrats agree. On Thursday night, Biden answered nearly an hour of questions from reporters, on everything from his health to the future of NATO to his strategy for countering an emboldened China. But a new campaign, called “Pass the Torch,” published a scathing critique of his performance on Friday, during which he accidentally referred to his vice president as “Vice President Trump.” Her name is Kamala Harris.

“Great job, Joe!” Trump posted on his social media platform.

“We can’t hold our breath during every campaign speech and appearance,” said Aaron Regunberg of Pass the Torch. “We need a candidate who is able to campaign vigorously against Donald Trump.”

On Thursday, Biden also raised eyebrows by calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by the name of his nemesis, introducing him at the NATO summit as “President Putin,” a reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He quickly corrected the error, but his political opponents and allies pounced on him.

“This is a gaffe; in and of itself it’s not a big deal,” Regunberg said in a statement. “But it is troubling that the president can’t seem to get through a single event without making a mistake that could provide fuel for the Trump attack machine.”

Washington state Democratic Sen. Patty Murray agreed, saying, “We need to see a much more aggressive and forceful candidate on the campaign trail in the very near future so that he can convince voters that he’s up to the job.”

And academics say Biden’s main enemy here is simple math.

“I’m not sure how he’s going to overcome the ‘too old’ aspect because we all have calendars and we can count,” said Shannon O’Brien, an adjunct professor of instruction at the University of Texas at Austin. “But just because you’re old doesn’t mean you’re not vital. And just because you’re old doesn’t mean you’re disabled. And I think he needs to show that he’s vigorous and that he’s mentally capable and that he understands the issues.”

On Friday, Biden, confident and buoyed by the throng of supporters who thronged him (some of whom began singing the national anthem as they awaited his appearance, led by a tall man standing somewhere in the crowd), focused on what he sees as the real weak point in this election.

“I know I look 40,” Biden said. “I know I’m a little bit old. Hopefully, with age comes a little wisdom. And here’s what I know: I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong. … And I know that the American people want a president, not a dictator.”

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