PHOENIX — B-24?A bingo caller shouted “Union jobs” and “Taking on Big Pharma” for seniors to fill with crayons cards that also included “Dr. Jill Biden” before the first lady herself showed up to address a crowd of roughly 250 Saturday afternoon — trying to ease concerns as her husband, 81, faces increasing public scrutiny regarding his mental acuity.
Mere hours after the first lady’s event, President Biden undercut her message with his third viral moment in a week, appearing to freeze up at a celebrity-led Los Angeles fundraiser before former President Barack Obama led him off the stage.
“This nana is proud to stand here with all of you to get to work to re-elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris,” Jill said in front of a “Seniors for Biden-Harris” sign.
On the issues, Biden focused on Social Security and Medicare in her brief address.
“Donald Trump supported ending Medicare as we know it,” she claimed.
“He wants to cut Social Security to give more tax breaks to his billionaire friends,” she continued. “Make no mistake: Donald Trump is dangerous.”
The 73-year-old first lady attempted to put a positive spin on her husband’s age while taking a dig at his Republican opponent, who is 78.
“Joe and the other guy are essentially the same age so let’s not be fooled,” she said.
“Biden is a healthy, wise, 81-year-old ready to work every day to make our future better,” she continued, echoing a line she used with Nevada voters the day before after the president made headlines for awkward behavior at the G7 summit and freezing at a Juneteenth celebration, as The Post reported.
The big question is whether the president can beat the aging concerns, as only about 30% of registered voters believe he has the “mental and cognitive health to serve” as commander in chief, according to a CBS News poll. Trump fares better than Biden in the poll with 50%, but 23% said “neither of them” is mentally fit to serve.
The first lady’s visit was part of the Biden campaign’s effort to tap into the older demographic, which recent national polling has indicated is becoming increasingly competitive between current and former presidents. A May Quinnipiac University poll has Biden leading Trump 55% to 43% with voters 65 and older when looking at those leaning toward either candidate.In Arizona, a recent American Association for Retired Persons poll showed Trump led 52% to 43% for Biden with voters 50 and older.
Event attendees The Post spoke with were more enthusiastic about stopping the former president retaking office than re-electing Biden.
Robert of Phoenix, 68, said he’s concerned about “saving freaking democracy” and found out about the event Friday because he plays pickleball at the senior center that hosted the event. He thinks the administration has done a good job on “infrastructure and the CHIPS Act” but said Republicans retaking the House majority in 2022 has deterred the president’s agenda.
Linda of Mesa and her friend Rose Conner of Gilbert both noted they’re supporting Biden because they believe in “preserving democracy.” When asked about Trump’s visit to Phoenix last week, they called the now-viral moment of him kissing controversial former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio “disgusting” and “frightening.”
Trump headlined a town hall with thousands of supporters in north Phoenix, where he aimed primarily at Biden’s immigration and economic policies. It was his first event in the Grand Canyon State since the midterm elections and his first event overall after his conviction in the Stormy Daniels hush-money trial, The Post reported at the time.
Ahead of Biden’s visit, the conservative group Citizens for Free Enterprise criticized the effort to target older voters, taking aim at the White House’s economic policies.
“No one is buying what President Biden is selling,” Citizens for Free Enterprise spokesman Jesse Hunt said. “Seniors on fixed incomes have watched in dismay as they get crushed by inflation, forcing them to make difficult choices in what should be the golden years of life. Bidenomics has been a disaster for America’s seniors — no one can afford four more years of it.”
Phoenix is only one stop on the first lady’s “Seniors for Biden-Harris” tour, as she visited as Reno, Nev., and Duluth, Minn., to garner support for her husband last week. Biden narrowly won Arizona in 2020, and a New York Times exit poll from the election had Trump leading by only 1% with voters 65-plus.
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