Phoenix — B-24?
A bingo host yelled “union jobs” and “against big pharma,” while seniors wrote “Dr. Jill Biden” on crayon cards.The first lady herself then appeared Saturday afternoon to address a crowd of about 250.Mrs. Biden sought to ease concerns amid growing public scrutiny about her 81-year-old husband’s mental health.
Just hours after the first lady’s event, President Biden undermined her message with his third controversial move in a week, appearing to freeze at a celebrity-led fundraiser in Los Angeles until he was escorted off stage by former President Barack Obama.
“This grandma is proud to stand here with you all for the reelection of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris,” Jill said in front of a “Seniors for Biden-Harris” sign.
On those issues, Biden focused on Social Security and Medicare in his brief speech.
“Donald Trump supported the repeal of Medicare as we know it,” she argued.
“He wants to cut Social Security and give his billionaire friends even more tax cuts,” she continued. “Make no mistake about it: Donald Trump is dangerous.”
The 73-year-old first lady sought to cast a positive light on her husband’s age while criticizing her 78-year-old Republican opponent.
“Don’t be fooled because Joe and the other guy are basically the same age,” she said.
“Biden is a healthy, wise 81-year-old who is ready to get to work every day to make our future better,” she continued, repeating lines Biden told Nevada voters the day before he made headlines for his awkward behavior at the G7 summit and for freezing during a Juneteenth celebration, as reported by The Washington Post.
A big question is whether the president can overcome concerns about his aging, with only 30% of registered voters believing he has the “mental and cognitive health” to be commander in chief. CBS News The poll gave Trump a 50% lead over Biden, but 23% said “neither” candidate was mentally qualified to hold the presidency.
The first lady’s visit is part of Biden’s campaign efforts to reach out to older voters, and recent national polls have shown that current and former presidents are increasingly favored by older voters. vote Among voters aged 65 and over, Biden leads Trump 55% to 43% in support of either candidate.
In Arizona, the American Association of Retired Persons recently vote Among voters over 50, Trump led with 52% to Biden’s 43%.
Event attendees who spoke to The Washington Post were more intent on preventing the former president’s reelection than on preventing Biden’s reelection.
Robert, 68, of Phoenix, said he found out about the event on Friday because he’s interested in “saving our democracy” and plays pickleball at the senior center that hosted the event. He said he thinks the administration has done a good job on “infrastructure and the CHIPS Act,” but that the president’s policies are thwarted by Republicans taking back the House majority in 2022.
Linda, a Mesa resident, and her friend Rose Conner, a Gilbert resident, both said they were supporting Biden because they believe in “preserving democracy.” Asked about Trump’s visit to Phoenix last week, they called the now-viral scene in which Trump kissed controversial former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio “nasty” and “horrifying.”
Trump was at the headline of a town hall that drew thousands of supporters in north Phoenix, where he primarily criticized Biden’s immigration and economic policies. It was his first event in the Grand Canyon State since the midterm elections and his first since his conviction in the Stormy Daniels hush money trial, The Washington Post reported at the time.
Ahead of Biden’s visit, the conservative group Citizens for Free Enterprise took aim at the White House’s economic policies and criticized efforts to target older voters.
“No one is buying what President Biden is selling,” said Jesse Hunt, spokesman for the Union of Free Enterprise Citizens. “Seniors on fixed incomes have watched in dismay as inflation crushed them and forced them to make difficult choices during what should be the prime years of their lives. Bidennomics is a disaster for older Americans. No one can survive another four years.”
Phoenix was just one stop on the first lady’s “Seniors for Biden-Harris” tour, which last week took her to Reno, Nevada, and Duluth, Minnesota, to rally support for her husband. Biden narrowly won Arizona in 2020, and The New York Times reported vote Pre-election surveys gave Trump just a 1% lead among voters over 65.
