US Election 2020: Joe Biden reveals details about his physical and mental fitness

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October 26, 2020

At 77, Biden would be the oldest president in American history. He will be 82 by the time his presidency is over

At 77, Biden would be the oldest president in American history. He will be 82 by the time his presidency is over. Photo: Reuters/File

Former vice-president Joe Biden rebuffed United States President Donald Trump’s attacks on the latter’s age in Sunday’s 60 Minutes interview to CBS News.

At 77, Biden would be the oldest president in American history. He will be 82 by the time his presidency is over.

The scrutiny around Trump and Biden’s age and mental fitness has intensified with the former poking attacks on the democratic nominee by dubbing him as “sleepy Joe”.

“The same guy who thought that the 9/11 attack as a 7-Eleven attack? He’s talking about dementia?” Biden said mockingly. “All I can say to the American people is watch me, see what I have done, see what I’m gonna do.”

The former vice-president urged Americans to compare both presidential candidates’ physical and mental acuity. “I'm happy to have that comparison,” he said, stressing that he was in “good shape”.

A study published in the Journal on Active Aging predicts Biden to outlive Trump by 10 years due to his “exceptional health profile”. The study projects a lifespan of 96.8 years for Biden and a 95.2% likelihood of surviving the presidential term.

Speculations on his physical health and mental acuity have followed Trump throughout his presidency. The research noted that Trump has “significant but modifiable” risks due to his “obesity ad sedentary lifestyle”. His lifespan is projected at 88.6 years with a 90.3% probability of surviving a second term in the White House.

The study termed both presidential candidates as “super-agers” who will “maintain their mental and physical functioning into late life”. They were given “higher than average probability” of surviving the next presidential term.

The debate on Biden’s age intensified after US Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) decision to withhold circulation of an intelligence report warning that Russia was trying to portray the democratic nominee as mentally unstable.

A draft of the report headlined “Russia Likely to Denigrate Health of US Candidates to Influence 2020 Election,” was submitted to the agency’s legislative and public affairs office on July 7, according to ABC News, which first reported the matter.

Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf told Fox News defended the decision, saying that the agency held up the memo because it lacked necessary context and was “very poorly written.”

The draft bulletin reported that Russian state media RT, Sputnik and a Russian proxy website between September 2019 and May 2020 posted allegations about “the poor mental health of 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden.”

The draft bulletin cited the proxy website as saying his verbal miscues were symptoms of dementia and not a stutter as reported in US media.



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