Joe Biden is 76 years old. On Inauguration Day 2021, if he becomes President, he would be 78 years old, making him the oldest incoming president. Undoubtedly, his age suggests the years of experience he has on all of his opponents. He was the senator of Delaware, ran for President in 1988, was chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Vice President of the United States, and more. He has accomplished many things in his lifetime and that stands for something. However, while I do not support ageism, as that would eliminate every voice that young people have, his age makes him unqualified for President simply due to his attitude.
The presidency requires a candidate that holds himself or herself accountable for his actions, exhibits humility at his mistakes, and adapts to certain situations. Vice President Biden does not demonstrate any of those characteristics. While his attitude may have worked during his time, his stagnant, stubborn, and downright incoherent words do hold ground in this transforming generation.
For example, when Kamala Harris confronted Vice President Biden on his questionable policies on bussing in the 70s, which personally affected the education of Harris, Biden responded with no humility, refusing to apologize and stated that he regretted nothing. Instead of taking the opportunity to exhibit remorse and show that he had changed with the times, he demonstrated that his generation values their own ego over empathy. In fact, this is reflective of a certain someone currently in office who cannot even bring himself to delete his outright racist tweets. Of course, Joe Biden is not the same as Donald Trump - he is not a racist or a sexist - but he has the same arrogance that many people of his age exhibit.
Moreover, Biden has shown that he cannot think on his toes, stumbling over words and misunderstanding questions. Unlike his younger opponents, and I'm not even talking about 37-year-old Pete Buttigieg, he cannot make quick decisions during debates, repeating the same overworked talking points over and over again. Presidents need to be able to create eloquent responses immediately when confronted with difficult questions, and Joe Biden simply cannot.
The only reason Joe Biden is leading the polls is that the population believe that we need an experienced President and that Joe Biden is moderate enough to appeal to many bases. However, there are many other candidates who are as qualified and show humility necessary to counteract the ego of the Cheeto-in-chief. The 2020 President needs to reflect the adaptivity of the current times. 2020 is completely different from 1970, the era of Joe Biden. If he showed that he was able to transition to the demands of the 21st century (by himself, not off of the back of President Barack Obama), then his age would have no consequence. But it is clear that he either cannot or refuses to admit his past transgressions to look towards better times. We need a candidate whose ego does not cloud his judgment and Joe Biden is not that candidate.