Joe Biden’s 81st birthday sparks a fresh bout of concern about his fitness for a second term

US President Joe Biden pardons the national Thanksgiving turkey, Liberty, during a pardoning ceremony at the White House.

Joe Biden is having a very different birthday experience from John F. Kennedy back in 1962, when Marilyn Monroe cooed happy birthday for the world to see.

The president’s 81st birthday on Monday (Tuesday AEDT) has sparked a fresh round of questions about his fitness for a second term in the White House by the end of which he would be 86, and pollsters have delivered some awful birthday presents.

Marilyn Monroe sings to President John F. Kennedy at Madison Square Garden for his upcoming 45th birthday in 1962.

The latest NBC Poll put his approval at 40 per cent, his lowest reading yet on that measure. Even younger voters, those aged 18 to 24, now prefer Donald Trump as president over Mr Biden 46 per cent to 42 per cent, a remarkable reversal of Mr Biden’s 28-point advantage in 2020.

In a three-way presidential contest with Mr Trump and independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr, Mr Biden scored 36 per cent to Mr Trump’s 44 per cent (Mr Kennedy had 21 per cent), an ominous performance whatever the margin of error, according to a Harvard University poll published on Monday.

These results follow a welter of national polls that suggest at least two thirds of Americans believe Mr Biden is ‘too old’ serve a second term, which for now at least, is the President’s intention.

Age is a euphemism for the real problem, though, his growing dotage.

The president’s public appearances are often marked by tripping over, appearing lost, fumbling with his notes or most common of all, speaking incoherently.

“They can actually sang birthday to me!“ the president declared in his remarks at the annual White House turkey pardoning ceremony on Monday, where he went on to confuse singers Taylor Swift with Britney Spears.

Did Biden refer to Taylor Swift as “Brittney”? pic.twitter.com/S7LHuXQKB9

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) November 20, 2023

Few would mind the occasional snafu – and few his age would even know who Taylor Swift is – but Mr Biden’s press conference after meeting with Xi Jinping last week was another reminder of how bumbling deliveries have become the rule rather than the exception.

The president is undergoing balance training with a therapist, according to a September Axios report, wearing tennis shoes more often, and must now use the “short stairs” when boarding Air Force Once.

Other leaders around his age did and do display the acuity of politicians decades younger. Senator Bernie Sanders is already 82, still delivers long speeches without notes and gives as good as he gets in live television interviews.

Malaysia’s former prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, was elected prime minster for a second time in 2018, at age 93. Konrad Adenauer was re-elected chancellor of Germany in 1961 when he was 85.

Donald Trump gives remarks at the South Texas International airport.

Democrats point out Mr Trump, at 77, is almost as old as Mr Biden, but his public performances have not changed much. Whatever you think of him, it’s still the same Trump.

Yes, in recent weeks the former president has occasionally confused Mr Biden with Barack Obama at campaign rallies - perhaps a forgivable mistake given the policy similarities.

But the fact Trump can even deliver such long speeches so frequently all around the country point to a decline far less steeps than Mr Biden’s, who will struggle to keep up next year.

Persuading the president to give up a chance at another four years of immense power will be difficult, but there are signs he’s waking up to political and biological reality.

He heaped praise on California governor Gavin Newsom in San Francisco ahead of the APEC leaders summit last week, sparking speculation the ambitious Mr Newsom, 56, may yet emerge as a replacement.

“I want to talk about Governor Newsom. Want to thank him,” Mr Biden said. “He’s been one hell of a governor, man. Matter of fact, he could be anything he wants. He could have the job I’m looking for.”

The California Governor has become notably more ‘centrist’ and statesman-like in recent months, vetoing controversial ‘woke’ legislation last month and even popping up in Beijing to visit Xi Jinping.

US actuarial tables suggest Mr Biden has around a 10 per cent chance of dying before the 2024 election. The chance he’s not the Democratic party candidate is a lot greater than that.