Biden, 80, dropping out would NOT be a ‘total shock’: Biographer says president has ‘insecurities’ about ‘being perceived as stupid’ – and sparks more questions about his 2024 bid

It wouldn’t be a “total shock” if President Joe Biden ended his 2024 reelection campaign by the end of the year, noted a biographer with enhanced access to the White House.

Author Franklin Foer said Sunday that during his time with Biden and his inner circle, he discovered that “one of the president’s main insecurities” is “that he doesn’t want to be seen as stupid.”

The 80-year-old Biden announced his bid for a second term with Vice President Kamala Harris in late April — but questions have been raised over the past year about whether the president is too old or unfit to serve another four years.

During the first two years of his presidency, Foer had “unparalleled access” to Biden and his inner circle, according to publisher Penguin Random House.

When asked on Sunday how he would react if Biden decided not to finalize his 2024 bid, Foer said, “It would come as a surprise to me. But it wouldn’t be a total surprise.’

Author Foer said in an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday morning that Biden’s biggest insecurity is “perceived as stupid”

“When he talks about his life, he uses this word all the time, fate,” he added during a conversation with NBC’s Meet the Press host Chuck Todd. Joe Biden is a very religious man, and fate is a word full of religious meaning. And he’s always talking about, “He can’t tell where fate is going.” And so when I hear that, to me it’s always the ellipses in the sentence when he talks about his own future.’

There are already two Democrats making longshot bids in the Democratic primary: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Marianne Williamson. Both attended the Iowa State Fair last month in an effort to rally support for an alternate Democratic nominee.

A poll last week showed that 77 percent of Americans are concerned about Biden’s age and ability to serve a second term.

Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, 77, is also facing questions about his age.

If Biden or Trump were elected again in 2024, they would set a new record as the oldest inaugurated US president ever.

While a candidate must be 35 years old to run for the White House, there is no limit. Presidential hopeful Nikki Haley has proposed introducing an age limit of 75 to run for president. She has also said that mandatory mental competence tests would be a good idea.

Foer’s book The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden’s White House and the Struggle for America’s Future provides a comprehensive account of the president’s thinking and the goings-on of the Biden administration.

“It doesn’t take Bob Woodward to understand that Joe Biden is old,” Foer told Todd on Sunday morning. “And I’m not a gerontologist and I can’t predict how Joe Biden will age in the next few years.”

“I think my book shows that… it’s hidden in details. He’s someone who’s very technocratic, really obsessed with the intricacies of policy. He’s a very activist president because he micromanages a lot of White House business,” Foer added.

Biden announced in April that he is running for a second term in 2024 with Vice President Kamala Harris

Foer said in his NBC interview Sunday morning that Biden has “insecurities” about being “perceived as stupid.”

He said the president still feels scarred by a plagiarism scandal from the 1980s, and is still passionate about being seen as at the top of policy debates today.

“He’s someone who’s buried in details, he’s someone who’s very technocratically obsessed with the complicated policies,” Foer told Todd.

“He micromanages all White House affairs,” Foer added. “He has insecurities that shape many of the ways he moves through the world. One of the biggest insecurities is that he doesn’t want to be seen as stupid.’

“So when he walks into a press conference, he wants to be in control of what he’s discussing. His preparation sessions can take a long time.’