My career of 280 years’: Joe Biden jokes off 2024 age concerns as he is the oldest person elected president

Joe Biden is by far the oldest president in American history. However, he scoffed at the concerns about his age, saying that he has a career of 280 years.

I don't care what the press says: Biden

At an Air Force event last month, Biden said President Dwight Eisenhower addressed the first class of the Air Force Academy more than six decades ago, but I wasn't there. I don't care what the press says.

'I've never been more optimistic about the future'

Biden told the Irish Parliament last month that he had never been more optimistic about the future. "I am at the end of my career, not the beginning," he insistedHe said, "I come to work with more experience than any president in American history. That doesn't make me better or worse, but it does give me some excuses.

Ronald Reagan also deferred the issue of age in the election

Before Biden, Ronald Reagan, who was then 73 years old during the 1984 presidential election, also shrugged off questions about his age. In a debate against 56-year-old Democrat Walter Mondale, Reagan vowed not to make age an issue.

Biden is doing exactly what he should do: Jill Biden

Michael LaRosa, former press secretary for First Lady Jill Biden, who also worked on Biden's 2020 re-election campaign, said Biden is doing exactly what he should be doing. They are embracing it and having fun with it. He's doing exactly what Ronald Reagan did.

Voters are cautious about Biden's ability to work

Biden's personal physician said in February that Biden was fit to successfully perform the duties of the presidency, but the public was still cautious about Biden's ability to perform his job. In last year's midterm elections, 57 percent of voters said they did not think Biden had the mental capacity to serve effectively as president, while 41 percent said Biden was fit. 

Biden's allies dismissed the concerns

Nearly nine in 10 Republicans and two in 10 Democrats said they think Biden does not have the mental capacity to serve as president. However, Biden's allies have long dismissed such concerns.

"I have gained a lot of knowledge"

In a new MSNBC interview last week, Biden again dismissed concerns about his age, saying, "I've gained a lot of knowledge and know more than most people." Biden's advisers also noted that while his age had emerged as an issue in the 2020 campaign, it should not deter him from becoming president.

Age issue among voters

However, Biden has acknowledged in the past that his age is a legitimate issue for voters. He said soon after announcing he would run for re-election that he had kept a 'close eye' on it before formalizing his decision to run for a second term.