Age and Exercise: Can Biden Overcome the Obstacle of American Ageism?

Will the U.S. presidential election determine whether the issue of age can bring down Biden’s candidacy and thus completely disrupt the place the elderly have as a contributing force in society, or will we see a complete turnaround?

There is no doubt that President Donald Trump is the type of leader who provokes, seduces and especially lies about his political opponents. Recently, he crossed the line in the most cynical way, when at 74, he launched an ageist attack on his opponent who is older by four years, calling him “Sleepy Joe.” Evidently this direct attack achieved its goal, and the Democratic candidate began a campaign in which he was interviewed while jogging in a video that was broadcast on the program “Sunday Night.”

The attack stems from the incumbent president’s position in the polls and COVID-19, which has classified society’s elderly as “an endangered group.” Joe Biden’s decision to maintain social distancing in order to avoid possible infection before the election in November was also a trigger for the president’s attack.

Apparently, the age of the candidates is the single biggest negative consideration for voters. During the Democratic primaries, the American economics magazine Forbes published a table of the life expectancies of each candidate. According to its findings, the incumbent has 11.4 years left, and his opponent has 9.3. Of course, even in societies such as society here in Israel, where age discrimination in the job market and in general is shown, the issue does not extend to the ages of those who are candidates for positions of leadership. It did not happen with Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Shamir in their day, and it is not a relevant issue with regard to the current prime minister and president, both of whom are over 70.

Trump, who sees himself at his peak as the oldest president ever elected in the United States at 70, brought the capitalist idea to an end at the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak. He suggested that life should continue as usual, because only the old and weak would die. And in case the message did not get across, Dan Patrick, the Republican governor of Texas, was summoned to explain that as an older man, he was ready to sacrifice himself for the American economy.

Unfortunately, Trump “won” this issue. The United States negligently dealt with COVID-19, the elderly looked at the mortality rates in New York and elsewhere and shut themselves in their homes in fear. Research demonstrates that this has caused considerable emotional damage, and from a subjective point of view, the future looks pessimistic. Poverty among the unemployed elderly is expected to get worse, because those who were working before the outbreak of the virus and then lost their jobs are the last population group who will be called back to work.

In another two months, we will have the answer. First, we will see if the election breaks the record with a 78-year-old president in the White House, who would be older than Ronald Reagan was when he left the presidency at 77. But the more important question is whether the subject of age will bring Biden down and thus completely upset the prospect of the elderly to be viewed as contributing members of society. Or will we see a dramatic turnaround in the attitude toward the elderly? Until this happens, the Democratic presidential candidate will be forced to address the issue of age with his younger (by four years) opponent who promises to serve two terms and not just one.

The author is a gerontologist who writes about aging.