Democratic insiders are reportedly concerned about Joe Biden's age and mental health as he considers running for re-election in 2024.
However, according to a recent Politico report, they are hesitant to publicly express their concerns, as Daily Fetched reported.
According to the report, discussions about Biden's cognitive abilities and ability to run for president again have remained consistent behind closed doors. Despite their reservations, many Democrats prefer to keep their concerns to themselves.
“He’s a president of great competence and success; I admire the heck out of President Biden,” the report cited Rep. Dean Phillips as saying.
“And if he were 15-20 years younger it would be a no-brainer to nominate him, but considering his age it’s absurd we’re not promoting competition but trying to extinguish it.”
According to an anonymous senator cited in the report, only a small number of their colleagues want Joe Biden to run for re-election, and the Democratic party must find a way to align the president's interests with their own in order to get him to step down from the demands of the office.
While Biden is reportedly planning to announce his intentions in April, some Democrats are concerned that the president, at his age, may not be able to sustain the energy required for a full-fledged campaign tour.
Republicans chastised the Biden campaign during the 2020 campaign for frequently ending their candidate's day early and limiting his interactions with the media, leading to accusations that he was being kept in a metaphorical "basement."
Despite Joe Biden's recent medical examination by his physician Kevin O'Connor, who described the president as "vigorous" and "healthy," many remain skeptical due to Biden's frequent public appearances in which he has appeared dazed and confused on stage.
The president's health was said to be unchanged since his last physical exam in late 2021, with only minor issues reported.
Former White House physician Ronny Jackson recently called for Biden's cognitive examination following another public appearance in which he appeared disoriented.
In an August 2022 survey conducted by Issues & Insights/TIPP, 59% of Americans expressed concern about Biden's mental health.
It is relatively infrequent for a first-term president of the United States to not run for reelection. In the modern era, there have been only a few instances in which a first-term president did not seek a second term
In 1880, President James A. Garfield was assassinated in his first year in office, and was succeeded by Vice President Chester A. Arthur, who did not seek reelection in 1884. In 1928, President Calvin Coolidge, who had served one term after succeeding to the presidency upon the death of Warren G. Harding in 1923, declined to seek reelection.
In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson, who had served as president since the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963, announced that he would not seek a second full term. In 1976, President Gerald Ford, who had succeeded to the presidency after the resignation of Richard Nixon in 1974, ran for a full term but was defeated by Jimmy Carter.
In 1992, President George H.W. Bush, who had served one term, was defeated in his bid for reelection by Bill Clinton.
It is worth noting that some first-term presidents have faced significant challenges or controversies that may have made their reelection difficult, and others may have simply chosen not to seek a second term for personal or political reasons. However, in general, it is relatively uncommon for a first-term president to not seek reelection.
