In June, the NHL hockey team, the Las Vegas Golden Knights, secured victory in the Stanley Cup. On November 13, the triumphant team received an invitation to the White House for a personal congratulatory meeting with the current president. Although expectations were for President Biden to extend the congratulations, he surprised the audience by stating that President Harris is here to make sure we do this the right way” shortly after joining the stage to greet the team.
Concerningly, this isn’t the initial instance of Biden making reference to “President Harris.” He established this pattern right from the start of his term when he began discussing the Biden-Harris administration.
In a matter of weeks after assuming the presidency, he began addressing Harris using the presidential title. The initial instance of him calling her “President Harris” occurred in January 2021. He repeated this in December of the same year during an event in South Carolina. On her birthday last October, he extended birthday wishes, referring to her as a “great president.” Now, he has once again repeated this pattern.
Concerns about Biden’s age are prevalent. He is set to celebrate his 81st birthday the Monday before Thanksgiving. If he secures re-election next year, he will be 82 at the time of his 2025 inauguration and 86 by the conclusion of his second term. Presently, 73% of Americans believe he is too old to pursue another run for the presidency.
In 2020, Biden alluded to the idea of passing on leadership. In the course of his campaign, he remarked, “I view myself as a bridge, not as anything else” prompting inquiries about the implications of such a statement.