Editor’s Note: The interviews presented in this story were conducted prior to the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, the Republican National Convention and the White House’s Wednesday announcement that President Biden has tested positive for COVID-19.
Democratic lawmakers in both chambers of Congress have been calling upon President Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential election since his performance at the June 27 presidential debate.
Biden, 81, whose voice was slow and raspy at the debate, said he had been suffering from a cold. Despite the concerns, Biden told CBS News Wednesday he would consider withdrawing only if a doctor advised him to do so.
Biden, the oldest president in United States history, would be 86 years old upon completing a potential second term.
Students at the University of Texas echo concerns held by lawmakers. Although Biden campaigning at his age is not ideal, it is necessary he wins a second term for the safety of the country, government sophomore Dalila Ramirez said.
“It’s a really visually and emotionally heartbreaking thing to see an 80-something-year-old that should be at home with his family obviously declining in mental acuity,” Ramirez said. “Nonetheless, him running for reelection was probably the best decision that the Democrats could have made.”
Prior to the debate, 27% of likely voters found Biden mentally fit to be president, according to a survey conducted by FiveThirtyEight and Ipsos.
After the debate, that number dropped to 20%.
“It’s fair to be concerned,” University Democrats President Brian Peña said. “I’m watching the same debate that everyone else did and I think I had the same thoughts. … I also think it’s really important to note that a 90-minute debate is not indicative of an entire administration.”
Accounting senior Peña said this election is about defeating not only former President Donald Trump, the Republican Party’s nominee, but also Project 2025, a plan by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think-tank, to reshape the executive branch under the next Republican president.
Amid calls for Biden to step aside, Peña and Ramirez said they will support the Democratic nominee for president, be it Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris, who is most likely to replace Biden if he were to step aside.
But the prospect of a Harris presidency complicates the chances of a Democratic victory, presidential historian H.W. Brands said.
“Kamala Harris, for whatever reason, is not particularly popular,” said Brands, the Jack Blanton Sr. Chair in history. “She would have a very hard time getting the nomination. She ran in 2020 and did poorly; Democrats don’t think she’s a particularly strong candidate, and she hasn’t given people a reason to think that she would be a strong candidate.”
At Biden’s age, Brands said voters may have concerns that the president will not be able to complete a second term. Biden may lose these voters’ support due to this scenario potentially bringing about a Harris presidency, Brands said.
Although Harris, 59, is younger than the incumbent president, Ramirez said both Democrats fail at understanding the key social issues Generation Z focuses on.
Ramirez said that although the Biden administration advocates for and tries to understand minority communities, Biden himself is not able to relate to these groups as effectively as a younger Democratic candidate would given his age.
“He doesn’t really have a unique personal relation to it or an understanding of it, but he definitely tries,” Ramirez said.
Concerns surrounding a president’s age are nothing new, Brands said.
During the 1984 presidential election, Republican nominee and 40th President Ronald Reagan, then 73, appeared confused and often repeated himself during his first debate against the Democratic nominee, former Vice President Walter Mondale, Brands said.
Brands said that although Reagan was able to dispel concerns about his age later on in the campaign, he would show signs of Alzheimer’s disease throughout his second term.
In any case, Brands said the calls from members of Biden’s own party to withdraw are unprecedented.
As of Friday, 30 members of the House of Representatives and three members of the Senate have called for Biden’s withdrawal, including Congressman Lloyd Doggett, whose district comprises the UT campus.
Peña said that although he disagrees with Doggett’s concerns, he understands they come from a desire for a Democratic victory.
“I respect the Congressman’s decision to come out, (and) if that’s what his constituents are saying, I believe him,” Peña said.
But Brands said these continued calls for a Biden withdrawal only diminish the chances of the Democrats winning the White House. He said the Biden campaign may see a loss in funding as more Democrats distance themselves following the growing concerns.
Biden’s condition has undoubtedly diminished his ability to govern, Brands said, in regards to guiding the American people as well as speaking with foreign allies.
Brands said Biden and the Democratic Party have put the country in a difficult situation.
Despite this, Ramirez and Peña said Biden remains the Democrats’ best chance at defeating Trump.
“As sad as it is, this election really isn’t about voting for somebody who’s going to best represent the Democratic Party and populace in America,” Ramirez said. “It’s really just about preventing the downfall of democracy.”
