This isn’t the first time this has been reported, but today’s New York Times takes a deep dive into the effects of Joe Biden’s advanced age, and notes that the window of his public appearances is getting smaller over time.
Unease about Mr. Biden’s age suffuses Democratic circles. One prominent Wall Street Democrat, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid offending the White House, noted that among party donors it was all anyone was talking about. At a small dinner earlier this year of former Democratic senators and governors, all of them in Mr. Biden’s generation, everyone at the table agreed he was too old to run again. Local leaders often call the White House to inquire about his health.
In private, officials acknowledge that they make what they consider reasonable accommodations not to physically tax an aging president. His staff schedules most of his public appearances between noon and 4 p.m. and leave him alone on weekends as much as possible.
Last July, the Times reported:
Although White House officials insist they make no special accommodations the way Reagan’s team did, privately they try to guard Mr. Biden’s weekends in Delaware as much as possible. He is generally a five- or five-and-a-half-day-a-week president, although he is called at any hour regardless of the day as needed. 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.
In April, Axios reported, “some White House officials say it’s difficult to schedule public or private events with the president in the morning, in the evening, or on weekends: The vast majority of Biden’s public events happen on weekdays, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.”
Now, there is no grand political strategy to having the president only appear from late mornings to mid-afternoons on weekdays. An administration enjoys no advantage by choosing to only use its most powerful communications tool when most Americans are at work. If Biden could appear more, he would. If Biden were sharp and energetic and in command in early mornings or evenings, we would see him more. We don’t see him during those hours and weekends, because he’s not up to it in one way or another.
Many of us are familiar with the concept of “sundowning” — the elderly growing increasingly confused in the late afternoons and evenings. Some who work with the elderly find the early morning hours some of the most difficult, and use the term “sunrising” — this can be tied into all kinds of factors from sleep patterns to blood sugar to medication wearing off during the night.
When the Times reports, “his staff schedules most of his public appearances between noon and 4 p.m. and leave him alone on weekends as much as possible,” what they are saying is that the president is currently a safe bet to have about 20 good hours a week. Anything beyond that is an open question. Maybe Biden will be sharp, maybe he won’t. Maybe an overseas trip will tire him out for three days, as in the case of Biden’s Ireland trip.
Biden can barely maintain the appearance of handling his duties now. God only knows how he’ll handle the rigors of a presidential reelection campaign, and/or any additional crises between now and January 20, 2025.