Biden (left) with show host Seth Meyers (social media)

US President Joe Biden downplayed the importance of concerns raised about his advanced age, during an interview with a comedy program on the American network NBC, in which he sought to win over hesitant voters before the upcoming presidential elections.

Biden (81 years old) said during his hosting of the program “Late Night with Seth Meyers” that he is a better choice than his opponent, former President Donald Trump (77 years old), who is likely to compete with him in the elections next November.

In response to a question from the program presenter who pointed out that the age of the Democratic president represents “a real concern for American voters,” Biden responded amid laughter and cheers from the audience, “You should look at the other man (Trump). He is almost my age, but he cannot remember his wife’s name.”

Biden was referring to previous scenes on the same program during which the show's host, Seth Meyers, showed a video clip of Trump referring to his wife, Melania, as "Mercedes."

Biden accused his potential rival of seeking to take America back, and said, “It is about the age of your ideas. I mean this man who wants to take us back. He wants to take us back to the “Roe v. Wade” law, in reference to Republican efforts to change abortion laws.

Incidents of Biden's stumbles and lapses cause concern to the American street, amid reports questioning his mental health (agencies)

Biden is often criticized for the lack of media interviews and press conferences he has given since assuming the presidency, but he now faces an intense election campaign that requires him to appear in the media if he wants to defeat his rival Trump, who is good at dealing with the media.

The White House said in a statement in this regard, “Today marks the tenth anniversary of the program (Late Night with Seth Meyers), and Biden appeared when he was Vice President in its first episode in February 2014.”

Temporary truce in Gaza

The interview touched on the Israeli war on Gaza, where the presenter asked Biden why he rejected an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, despite his acknowledgment that the human losses among Palestinians as a result of the Israeli bombing of the Strip are very high.

Biden responded by talking about reaching an initial agreement stipulating a temporary truce, under which Israel agrees not to “engage in any military activities during the month of Ramadan,” in exchange for the release of hostages held by the resistance movement (Hamas).

He added, "I believe that if we reach this temporary ceasefire, we can move in a direction that allows us to move to a long-term settlement."

US private investigator Robert Hoare issued a report earlier this month questioning President Biden's mental health.

The US President's team tried to confront what was stated in the report, and confirmed that the comments mentioned in the report were "inaccurate" and "inappropriate", and believed that they were politically motivated.

In an attempt to confront the criticism, Biden angrily expressed his rejection of the Hoare report, denied what was stated in it regarding his poor memory, and accused him of forgetting the date of his son Beau’s death in 2015. He said that what was stated in the report was “contrary to the truth and false.”

Source: French