A new report from The New York Times revealed how President Biden tried and failed to prove his physical vigor to critics who were constantly questioning his age and fitness for the job.
For the piece detailing what Biden and his team did to try to reduce the public’s impression that he was a “faltering” president, reporters spoke with people close to Biden, who stated that the president wanted to show off his physical prowess to counter criticism of his age.
“But at times, people familiar with his thinking recalled, Mr. Biden’s pride — along with an old-school view that displaying physical vitality was the antidote to age concerns — could get in the way,” the article from Friday stated.
According to the outlet, Biden’s longtime strategist Mike Donlon told the president in 2022: “Your biggest issue is the perception of age.”
Biden “acknowledged the concerns,” but the “warnings only ignited his defiant, competitive streak,” The Times reported, implying that this attitude fueled his decision to run for re-election in 2023, despite initially stating that he would not.
“Finally elected on his third try, Mr. Biden suggested that he would be a transition president,” according to the article. “But his pride, plus a string of legislative accomplishments and a strong showing in the 2022 midterms, drove him to seek re-election and set out on a quixotic mission to prove his vitality.”
Biden’s pride reportedly drove him to try to demonstrate his physical competence to the public. The report went on, “Mr. Biden, who exercised on a stationary bike most days, made decisions that he thought would demonstrate vigor. However, at times, they had the unintended consequence of highlighting his advancing age.”
The report gave several examples, the first being that Biden “refused to wear an orthopedic boot” after fracturing his foot while playing with his dog just before the inauguration.
“He didn’t want to be perceived as weak — a 78-year-old president with his hand on the Bible and a large, visible contraption on his foot. “He wore his leather brogues instead.”
According to The Times, the fracture “did not heal” as a result, contributing to a “shuffling gait that has continued throughout his presidency.”
It also mentioned his biking mishap, which was caused by his desire to appear fit.
“Mr. Biden still wanted to prove that he was physically agile,” the report stated. “He enjoyed biking at his home near Rehoboth Beach, Del., but during the summer of 2022, when he stopped to talk with a group of onlookers and reporters, his feet got caught in the toe cages on the pedals.”
Biden fell off his bike, and reporters captured it on video. The video went viral and served as fodder for Biden’s critics, who even turned “Mr. Biden’s fall into a political attack on T-shirts,” according to The Times.
Then came the “worst mishap,” which occurred when “Mr. Biden tripped over a sandbag at the Air Force Academy commencement.”
“It took five seconds for Secret Service agents to help the president to his feet, an eternity when seen on television.”
