For Joe Biden and Donald Trumpthe two oldest presidential candidates of USAage is a major electoral issue that none of them can escape.

On Thursday, June 27, the 81-year-old Democratic president and his 78-year-old Republican predecessor will face off in atlanta, in the first of two debates ahead of November’s presidential election, offering Americans “a rare televised comparison of the physical and mental prowess of the two men,” as reported by the BBC.

For 90 minutes and under high-definition flashlights, President Biden and former President Trump, who are tied in the polls, will open their cards on a range of diverse topics, from the economy and war fronts to immigration and the future of democracy.

“It’s no secret that Biden is 81, and Trump is essentially the same age,” said Jim Messina, a strategic communications consultant who ran Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign. “It’s not an age contest. , but for a contest of politics and morals”.

“What needs to happen on Thursday night is to focus the debate on the substantive differences between the two candidates,” Mr. Messina said.

Worries about Biden – ‘Too big to be effective’ say 73% of voters

According to polls, the electorate is much more concerned about Biden’s age than his opponent, but if Trump prevails, he will be the one to break the record for the oldest president before the end of his new term.

At the same time, an overwhelming percentage of 73% of registered voters in the US say that Biden is “too old to be an effective president”, while only 40% said the same about Trump.

Biden was declared “fit for duty” earlier this year by a White House doctor, but concerns about his age remain. The signs of his aging have become more noticeable in recent years: a softer voice, occasional memory lapses and a “stiff gait” that the doctor attributes in part to arthritis.

Videos of routine actions — walking up and down the stairs of Air Force One, walking on stage at public events — are closely watched on the Internet and in conservative media.