New York Times declares Joe Biden's age is an 'uncomfortable issue,' aides 'worry he will trip on a wire'

The New York Times published a piece questioning the fitness of President Joe Biden for office. The left-leaning media outlet declared that Biden's age is an "uncomfortable issue" that he and the Democratic Party need to contend with.

The article titled "At 79, Biden Is Testing the Boundaries of Age and the Presidency" claimed that the president's upcoming four-day Middle East trip was originally scheduled to be combined with his recent jaunt to Europe. However, an anonymous official called it "crazy" for Biden to go on an "unnecessarily taxing for a 79-year-old president."

"And as Mr. Biden insists he plans to run for a second term, his age has increasingly become an uncomfortable issue for him, his team, and his party," wrote Peter Baker – the chief White House correspondent for the New York Times.

The article noted that the oldest president in American history would be 86 years old at the end of his tenure if he won the 2024 election. Democratic strategists told the Times that they do not believe Biden should run for president in 2024.

Baker cited a Harvard poll released in June that found that 64% of U.S. voters say "Biden is showing he is too old to be president."

More than a dozen current and former White House senior officials and advisers "acknowledged Mr. Biden looks older than just a few years ago, a political liability that cannot be solved by traditional White House stratagems like staff shake-ups or new communications plans." They added that the president's "energy level, while impressive for a man of his age, is not what it was, and some aides quietly watch out for him."

"He often shuffles when he walks, and aides worry he will trip on a wire," aides revealed to the Times. "He stumbles over words during public events, and they hold their breath to see if he makes it to the end without a gaffe."

"Mr. Biden’s public appearances have fueled that perception. His speeches can be flat and listless. He sometimes loses his train of thought, has trouble summoning names or appears momentarily confused," the Times article conceded. "More than once, he has promoted Vice President Kamala Harris, calling her 'President Harris.' Mr. Biden, who overcame a childhood stutter, stumbles over words like 'kleptocracy.' He has said Iranian when he meant Ukrainian and several times called Senator Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia, 'John,' confusing him with the late Republican senator of that name from Virginia."

The New York Times accused Republicans and conservative media of "gleefully" highlighting Biden's gaffes and viral videos that negatively depict the president.

"He stays out of public view at night and has taken part in fewer than half as many news conferences or interviews as recent predecessors," the article stated, and described Biden as "generally a five- or five-and-a-half-day-a-week president."

The outlet noted that the White House appears to protect Biden from "unscripted interactions with the news media."

Biden has only held 16 news conferences – less than half as many as former Presidents Donald Trump, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush. Biden has only given 38 interviewers – far fewer than 116 by Trump, 198 by Obama, and 71 by Bush.

Biden's inner circle are reportedly terrified of the president contracting COVID-19, and aides are tested for coronavirus once a week and must wear colored wristbands on the day of their test. Aides who come in contact with Biden must get tested the morning of the meeting and wear N95 masks.

Baker cited "some experts" who categorize 79-year-old Biden as a "super-ager."

Mike Donilon – a senior adviser who began working for Biden approximately 40 years ago told Baker, "On the way back from long trips when the staff is wiped out, he’ll want to spend four hours planning for how we hit the ground running on domestic policy, when all much younger staff want to do is sleep."

The article referenced Biden falling off a bicycle last month while vacationing in Delaware.

A report from last month projected that if he stays at the same pace, Biden is set to take 1,106 days of vacation if he serves two terms, and would be the most vacationed president in American history.

Last month, Biden accidentally flashed a note card that instructed him to carry out simple tasks such as "YOU enter the Roosevelt Room and say hello to participants" and "take YOUR seat." Speaking about the instructional note card, former Trump adviser Stephen Miller said, "White House staff clearly has exceptionally low confidence in Biden’s cognitive abilities."