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By Izzy Aparicio
One word can encapsulate most of the buzz around this upcoming election: Age. Among voters, especially the younger crowd, worries about Joe Biden’s
age are clear. Biden’s inauguration at 78 years old in 2021 and his current age of 81 years old has kept this issue alive. Many millennials andGen Zs just aren’t rallying behind Biden or feeling that connection to vote for him—but what’s driving this sentiment?
Generational Divide
“His age causes young voters to trust his judgment less as there’s a big difference between the values of his generation and ours,” said Alex Dodd, a 22-year-old Kent State University student.
This echoes what the Joe Biden campaign has been hearing since his election. In 2020, Biden won young voters by more than 20 points over Trump, but recently this fervent support has become stale. This comes after promises that these voters feel he hasn’t delivered on his unrelenting support of Israel, and more recently, his backing of the proposed TikTok ban.
Voters between 18-35 years old made up 17% of eligible voters in 2020, and in 2024 it will be even greater. The question is, how do candidates reach this demographic? The main answer is social media.
Social media like Instagram and TikTok allow people to connect and feel relatable to their audience. Starting in late February, President Biden made multiple appearances on TikTok trying to garner more votes from this generation. However, Congress has recently suggested a ban on TikTok if its
major Chinese backer, ByteDance, does divest from the app. Taking away one of the most used apps from one of Biden’s most significant voting blocks will certainly not make TikTok’s more than 150 million American users happy.
Besides this, since Oct. 7, 2023, Biden has supported and sent weapons to Israel in their fight against Hamas.
This goes against what young people value, as youth overall are more likely to sympathize with Palestine. A December 2023 New York Times/Siena poll found higher sympathy for Palestinians (47%) than for Israelis (26%) or for both (10%) among prospective voters ages 18-29. As this war continues,
younger voters will probably become even more sympathetic towards Palestine as Israel continues to bomb Gaza. Also many young voters in Michigan
voted uncommitted in the primary because of his support for Israel, demonstrating that they are willing to not vote for Biden.
Biden’s inability to bridge the gap between what young voters want, and what he is currently doing, is clear.
Leadership
A president is meant to lead. The nation looks to a president for leadership, and when that person makes a few flubs, it is not well received. Young voters are worried about Biden’s mental capacity to lead and fulfill his duties as president.
Tiffany Hammond, a student at Lakeland Community College, explained that his age affects how younger people perceive him because of all the health issues he could be experiencing while he is in office. Age comes with risks, especially with a demanding job with important decisions to be made.
Even though Donald Trump is only four years younger than Biden, the Democratic Party doesnot seem to be hitting on Trump’s age as hard, if at all, and it’s working.
In an AP-NORC Poll conducted in August 2023, in a survey of 1,165 adults, 77% saw age as a problem for Biden while only 51% thought the same for Trump.
The public perception of Biden and his age is not positive, and the things he is currently doing, whether it be his policy decisions or his viral mess-ups, are not helping him win over voters.
What This Means
This coming November election, will certainly be a Biden- Trump rematch, and seems like it will be closer than ever. This means that Biden needs all the votes he can get if he wants to win. Losing one of his largest voting blocks, young people, is not an option, but the President and his team do not
seem to be worrying about this. Biden continues to do things that alienate him from this base while saying that he wants to make the country better. His team feels that when it comes time, young voters will vote for “the lesser of two evils” as they did in 2020.
However, relying on this to happen makes many young voters feel used.
“I think he’s too old to run again. We are the future of the U.S. and he cannot relate to our generation at all. Even his cabinet and staff are Gen X at the youngest. It feels like he is taking advantage of the fact that people will vote for him because they need to vote against Trump and not because theyactually like him,” said 19-year-oldEmily O’Quin.
The future is unclear for Biden, but there is still time. There is not one specific thing he can do to gain his younger audience back, but many will either still be voting for him or will think about it if he shows that he is willing to listen. Only time will tell.
