President Joe Biden has spoken up about concerns surrounding his age in a new election campaign video.
The 81-year-old oldest sitting US president - who previously served as Barack Obama's vice president from 2009 to 2017 - has sparked unease among voters after several speaking mistakes were caught on camera.
One of those blunders occurred last month when Biden appeared to have confused French President Emmanuel Macron with a former leader of France... who’s been dead for nearly three decades.
During a campaign speech in Las Vegas, Nevada, the leader recounted a story about a meeting he had with Macron during a G7 summit in England back in 2021 to discuss the January 6 riots. "I sat down and I said, 'America's back,'" he recalled. "And Mitterrand from Germany - I mean from France - looked at me and said 'You know what - why - how long you back for?'"
Mitterrand became French president in 1981 and remained in office until 1995. He passed away a year later, aged 79. Meanwhile, Macron was elected in 2017, aged 39, becoming France’s youngest head of state since Napoleon.
The White House later published the remarks in the official transcript of the speech, and crossed out the name "Mitterrand" and replaced it with "Macron."
Another mishap took place that same month when Biden seemed to mistake Egypt with Mexico while referring to the ongoing Israel-Palestine war at a press conference. "The president of Mexico did not want to open up the gate to allow humanitarian material to get in," he said, per The Independent. "I talked to him. I convinced to open the gate."
Despite all the errors and ongoing speculations about his physical health, Biden was declared "fit to serve" by physician Kevin O'Connor on Febraury 28.
In a report published by the White House, O'Connor stated that "President Biden is a healthy, active, robust, 81-year-old male, who remains fit to execute the duties of the presidency, to include those as chief executive, head of state and commander in chief."
He added that Biden had undergone "an extremely detailed neurologic exam", which was "again reassuring" with no findings of cerebellar or neurologic disorders, such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, or Parkinson's disease.
Now, with the 2024 Presidential elections set to take place this year, Biden released a commercial in which he directly addresses the comments about his advancing age.
Watch the campaign ad below:
"Look I'm not a young guy. That's no secret," he jokes while speaking to the camera. "But here's the deal, I understand how to get things done for the American people.
"I led the country through the Covid crisis," he continues in the ad. "Today, we have the strongest economy in the world. I passed a law that lowers prescription drug prices, caps insulin at $35 a month for seniors."
Biden then opened up about his opponent Donald Trump, pointing out that for four years he "tried to pass an infrastructure law and he failed," adding: "I got it done. Now we’re rebuilding America. I’ve passed the biggest law in history to combat climate change because our future depends on it."
The president promised to make Roe v Wade "the law of the land again," criticizing Trump for taking away "the freedom of women to choose," and slamming: "Donald Trump believes the job of the president is to take care of Donald Trump.
"I believe the job of the president is to fight for you, the American people, and that’s what I’m doing," he concluded. "I'm Joe Biden and I approve this message."
The end of the ad features an outtake as a producer off-camera asks Biden for one more take, to which he quips: "Look, I’m very young, energetic, and handsome. What the hell am I doing this for?"
The commercial is part of a recently announced $30 million battleground state ad buy and will air on digital platforms and national cable, local broadcast, and cable television in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina, per CBS News.