Every time President Joe Biden appears in public, I cringe, not because of his politics necessarily, but I am concerned about what he might inadvertently say.

Biden observed his 80th birthday Sunday, and he has said right along that he plans to run for re-election in 2024. Shortly after that election, he would be 82, and, if re-elected, four years later when he would leave office, he would be 86.

The question I have been asking, along with many others, is whether this is too old to be handling the affairs of state as president, arguably one of the toughest jobs in the world.

When I have discussed this with friends and others, they facetiously (at least I think it’s facetiously) noted that I am no spring chicken at 83, and I am still writing opinion columns without making incredibly stupid blunders.

Of course, aside from my own perceived competence, I have two sets of eyes which edit and proofread my columns before they are printed or posted online. A thank you to them, because they have from time to time saved me from one of the aforementioned blunders.

But it’s a quantum leap from writing opinion columns for a local daily newspaper and functioning as president of the United States, just in case you didn’t know this.

This begs the question: Should there be an age limit for all public offices? For example, even though U.S. Supreme Court justices serve “for life,” unless they do something really stupid, justices at the state and local level here in Pennsylvania must retire at age 75, up from the 70 age limit of a few years ago.

Even with this retirement age, though, many of these “retired” justices serve as “senior judges” and preside over trials and court cases until they are finally put out to pasture.

Most other offices have no age limits, so the late Rep. John Dingell, D-Michigan, for example, was the longest serving member of Congress at 59 years, leaving in 2015 at the age of 89. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, will be 90 on June 22 and plans to run for re-election when her six-year term is up in 2024 when she will be 91. If she wins and completes her term, she would be 97.

Polling results show that many Americans see Biden’s age as a factor if he runs again. Questions such as his physical and mental fitness have swirled around him since he began his presidential campaign in 2019 and have dogged him ever since, and now with an octogenarian in office for the first time, those questions are sure to grow louder, especially when Biden commits speaking miscues as he often does or is spotted with cheat sheets telling him what to do and say as was the case during a recent trip abroad.

The previously oldest president, Ronald Reagan, left office when he was 77, but in his later years Reagan was viewed as pushing the boundaries of competent job performance, and it was later discovered that he was in the early stages of dementia.

Former President Donald Trump, who was 70 when he took office, also faced frequent questions about his age and mental fitness, particularly because he was and is prone to erratic statements. Trump, 76, announced last week that he is a candidate for president in 2024. He would be 78 at the time of the 2024 General Election and, if elected, would be 82 when he would leave office on Jan. 20, 2029.

When I met a friend in Dunmore for lunch recently, I decided to hang out at the Boulevard Diner in nearby Scranton, Biden’s hometown, to find out what registered voters in this part of Lackawanna County thought of the age factor.

In my very unscientific survey, I included the first 25 registered voters I encountered - 13 Democrats, 8 Republicans and 4 independents. Sixteen or 64% said they believe that Biden’s age and their perception of his physical ability and stamina would be a factor in considering him for re-election two years from now. Note that I did not ask any of them about any other issue such as the economy, abortion, etc.

Biden’s doctors have given him a clean bill of health as of now. The question of age irks the President. Although he has said that it’s appropriate for people to be concerned about his age and on occasion jokes about it, he insists that he is in good health, exercises daily and eats properly, even though he shows more limited mobility and stiffness after suffering a fractured foot two years ago while playing with one of his dogs.

While age alone is not an automatic disqualifier, medical gerontologists I spoke to said that if he were re-elected president, someone of his age would need constant monitoring to confirm his continuing well-being.

It also does not help that some officials from his own party are calling for a younger candidate to carry the Democrats forward in 2024.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com