Biden Does Not Want to Come to Terms with His Age, Axios

U.S. President Joe Biden is reluctantly acknowledging his physical challenges at the age of 81, which is causing some tension among his team, Axios reports, citing sources close to the White House leader.

Current and former aides say that Biden is unusually energetic for his age. However, his repeated claims that he feels young are increasingly raising questions among those around him.

First Lady Jill Biden and her team are deeply involved in the president's daily schedule. “John works too hard,” says Jill Biden.

The influence of a spouse on the presidential schedule seems unusual, but there are some precedents. Nancy Reagan closely monitored Ronald Reagan's schedule, even consulting an astrologer from time to time. At 69, Reagan became the oldest president elected in the U.S., a record that was later surpassed by 70-year-old Donald Trump. Biden was elected president at the age of 77 in 2020, exceeding that benchmark.

Polls show that more than 70% of voters in the U.S. are concerned about Biden's decision to run for a second term. Biden himself has been irked by voters' perceptions that he is too old to serve as commander-in-chief.