Joe Biden, America’s oldest ever president, said Monday night the focus on his age as he seeks a return to the White House in 2024 is understood before boldly declaring he is running again because Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans wanted to “destroy” U.S. democracy.
The octogenarian addressed the issue of his age during an elite fundraiser at a Broadway theatre in New York, declaring his experience helped him deal with crises like Ukraine and coronavirus, AFP reports.
Funds raised at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre gala were destined for the Biden Victory Fund.
The Broadway for Biden event was described by organizers as both a “celebration” of Biden’s political career and “a call to action, emphasizing the importance of his reelection in 2024,” as Breitbart News reported.
A sign is seen outside the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre where U.S. President Joe Biden attended a fundraiser hosted by a committee of Broadway Theatre producers and performers benefitting the Biden Victory Fund in New York, on September 18, 2023. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty)
“A lot of people seem focused on my age,” Biden told his audience. “I get it believe me, I know it more than anyone.”
The 80-year-old added: “I’m running because democracy is at stake, because in 2024 democracy is on the ballot once again. And let there be no question: Donald Trump and his MAGA Republicans are determined to destroy American democracy.”
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The AFP report outlined Biden said he would not “bow down” to “dictators.”
He then accused Trump — whose slogan is Make America Great Again (MAGA) — of prostrating himself to Russian President Vladimir Putin, even as voters question his own abilities to discharge his duties due to the combination of age and personal frailty.
Biden, who is attending the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week, would be 86 at the end of a second term.
Leading Republican contender Trump — who is 77 and would be the oldest president ever elected if he wins next year — said in an interview broadcast Sunday that Biden was “not too old” but was “incompetent.”