It has been said that humor is tragedy plus time. For President Joe Biden, the hope is to stave off a tragedy by joking about time.
Biden, 81, is deploying comedy to deflect questions about his age during a high-stakes reelection bid that could keep him in the White House until age 86.
On Tuesday, the president laughed off questions about whether Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) could be a “Plan B” candidate, telling a reporter, “We’re looking at you” to fill the position. Later that day, he joked that he was “40 times two” at a Los Angeles fundraiser with actress Jane Fonda and comedian Greg Proops in attendance.
While critics and Republicans are quick to point out Biden’s advanced age and apparent memory loss, the president tries to head them off by bringing up the topic himself.
“I know I only look like I’m 40, but a little more than that,” Biden said with a laugh on Jan. 19. “All kidding aside, I’ve been around a long time.”
He has used a variation of that joke dozens of times, one of many examples of his age-related quips.
Biden celebrated his 81st birthday with 81 blazing candles to make light of the milestone, a move that went viral last November.
After falling over on stage at the Air Force Academy in June 2023, Biden drew laughs when someone else fell during a subsequent speech by saying, “That wasn’t me.” And during last November’s turkey pardon, Biden joked, “I just want you to know it’s difficult turning 60.”
Not everyone is laughing.
A recent ABC News poll found that 86% of respondents think Biden is too old to serve another term as president. Given that he has no control over his age, humor may be one of the best ways to deflect that and make himself seem relatable to voters.
“There is an old adage in politics, ‘hang a lantern on your problems,'” Republican strategist John Feehery said. “The idea is not to hide behind your vulnerabilities but to make them your strengths.”
That is what Biden is trying to do, he added, saying the tactic can work — if delivered the right way.
“The problem for Biden is that his age and obvious infirmity is no laughing matter,” Feehery said. “It is a matter of national security. And it is pretty clear that Biden is not in control of his administration, which has governed far to the left of where Biden traditionally has been and where said he would be during the campaign.”
The joking technique has been tried before.
Older candidates have been a fixture of both political parties’ presidential tickets since 2016, but in the 2008 election, the age gap between Republican candidate John McCain, then 72, and 47-year-old Democrat Barack Obama became a problem for the former.
McCain tried to deflect it by hosting Saturday Night Live and making wisecracks about his age.
“I ask you, what should we be looking for in our next president?” McCain said. “Certainly, someone who is very, very, very old.”
McCain lost, although Obama’s historic rise that cycle may have thwarted the GOP nominee regardless of age.
A more successful attempt at flipping the Father Time question came from Ronald Reagan. During the second debate with Walter Mondale in 1984, Reagan, then 73, was asked whether there was any doubt in his mind that he could handle the demands of a second term.
“Not at all,” Reagan said. “I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience.”
Biden may not be able to use a line like that since his likely opponent, former president Donald Trump, is just four years younger. However, Trump’s advanced age might also lessen the sting of questions about Biden’s.
Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, the only GOP candidate still standing in Trump’s way, is trying to wield both candidates’ ages against them. Haley, 52, has labeled Trump and Biden grumpy old men and pointed to polls showing that most voters do not want a 2020 rematch.
Haley has predicted that Biden will not make it through a second term, saying, “You’re going to have a female president of the United States. It’s either going to be me, or it’s going to be Kamala Harris.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre fired back at the prediction with her own shot of humor.
“I’m not sure what crystal ball she’s looking at,” Jean-Pierre said, “but it’s not the one we have.”
