He wants to "finish the job" but will he have the energy and the ability, at more than 80 years old? From Washington to Los Angeles via Houston, the issue tormented the Americans Tuesday, April 25, after the announcement of a new candidacy of Joe Biden to the White House for 2024.

Most voters seemed far from enthusiastic. The prospect of another lap of the Democrat at most arouses some polite encouragement.

"He's old, but he's got a lot of experience," said Ron Autry, an employee at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. This thirty-year-old wants to see him stay "four more years" in power and praises his ability to "overcome the cleavages" with the Republicans on some bills.

But on campus, Joe Biden's age is worrying. No student lingers on the giant screen where the news channels broadcast his face on a loop. If re-elected, he would complete his second term at the age of 86.

01:40

"He's like an old grandpa," sighs Avery Gonzales, who still remembers the politician's crash on his bike at a standstill in June 2022. Her shoe had gotten stuck in the footrest, but the image marked this medical engineering student.

President Biden falling off his bike this morning. pic.twitter.com/3z2OXwIBhx

— Pop Base (@PopBase) June 18, 2022

"He could get stricken with dementia and start making bad decisions," the 19-year-old fears. "I think it would be better to have someone younger, assimilates faster and is closer to the younger generations."

An opinion reflected in the polls. About 70 percent of Americans — including 51 percent of Democratic voters — don't want 80-year-old Joe Biden to run again, according to a recent NBC poll. Half of the respondents cited their age.

"We don't have many alternatives"

The president's latest medical report, released in February, concluded that he is in "good health." For some experts, the occupant of the Oval Office, who exercises several times a week, even displays an unusual endurance.

But Joe Biden remains a politician prone to gaffes and the stutter he has long suffered from does not help him.

Firmly anchored to the left, Elizabeth Brown praises her record on the environment or the economy. But she can't help but point out "the little missteps he makes" during his speeches.

The 73-year-old former school principal will vote for him "if he is the Democratic nominee." But she would like to "see a younger person" and with new ideas run for the White House.

In Washington, another Democratic stronghold, other retirees share these reservations.

"He is really too old for this job," even if he "did a very good job," said Roger Tilton, 72.

>> Watch on France 24.com: Joe Biden: too old to be a presidential candidate?

In Republican-dominated states, voters see it as one more reason to mock the president.

"I think Joe is too old, he's getting a little senile and he should retire," said Stacy Lewin, from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The problem is that "we don't have many alternatives because the Democratic Party hasn't done a good job of cultivating younger leadership," said James Newman, a Houston, Texas firefighter.

But if the incumbent president "runs against a horrible Republican who wants to accelerate climate change, criminalize all abortions and do all these other bad things, I still prefer Biden," the voter said.

A calculation well integrated by the current tenant of the White House, who seems to bet to be able to win a second duel against Donald Trump, currently favorite for the Republican nomination.

With AFP

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