President Biden will hit the television airwaves this week with a minute-long ad that immediately addresses one of his biggest political vulnerabilities: his age.
“Look, I'm not a young guy,” a smiling Biden, dressed in a quarter-zip sweater over a white shirt, says directly to the camera at the beginning of the 60-second ad. “That is not a secret. But here’s the deal: I understand how to get things done for the American people.”
He goes on to list accomplishments such as leading the country out of the Covid-19 pandemic, overseeing the economic recovery, reducing prescription drug prices and signing new infrastructure investments into law, all while seeking to draw a contrast with former President Trump, who shown in the ad driving a golf cart.
“Donald Trump believes that the president's job is to take care of Donald Trump. I believe the president's job is to fight for you, the American people. And that's what I'm doing,” Biden says.
The overall tone of the ad is serious. But after the legally required approval – “I am Joe Biden and I approve this message” – a voice asks: “Can we do one more take?”
Biden returns to the screen with a different view of his age: “Look, I am very young, energetic and handsome. What the hell am I doing this for? he asks, laughing.
It's the first time Biden and his team have run an ad that addresses his advanced age and signals a more aggressive approach to counter voter unrest at the prospect of Biden, 81, running for a second term. .
The ad is the first of a $30 million statewide campaign in dispute and will air on national cable networks and local broadcast stations in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina, according to the campaign. Biden.
