Joe Biden, 80, walks through CEMETERY for mass in Delaware as questions about his health continue to swirl

Joe Biden walked between tombstones to attend mass Saturday at his local Delaware church, as critics continue to question the impact of his unprecedented age.

The 80-year-old president was pictured in a series of striking snaps as he strolled among lichen-covered tombstones at St Joseph’s Brandywine Catholic Church in Wilmington on Saturday night.

Images of Biden’s walk submitted by telegraph bureaus are likely to remind voters of the president’s approaching years. He is the oldest American leader in history and will be 86 by the end of his second term if he wins the 2024 election.

Biden has claimed he is fit enough to remain president.

But frequent stumbling – both physical and mental – has led to concerns about his health. And those blunders have also fueled fears that his unpopular Vice President Kamala Harris could become president by default if he were to die suddenly in office.

Biden and First Lady Jill were socializing with the priest and fellow churchgoers after mass at the church, which they have attended for years.

The couple spent the past week at their Delaware home enjoying bike rides and beach days away from the hustle and bustle of DC politics.

The photos come as the 80-year-old sitting president gears up for re-election in 2024. When he took office at age 78, he was the oldest presidential candidate ever elected.

Donald Trump, 77, is not far behind Biden, but gives the impression of being more youthful than the man who kicked him out of office.

The president’s first term was marked by a series of high-profile blunders, falls, and signs of disorientation—most famously, tripping on the Air Force One stairs and falling off his bicycle during an earlier vacation in Delaware.

Throughout his tenure, his critics have questioned the impact of his age on his performance in the White House — and those questions are growing.

An NBC poll last month revealed that his own party is divided over whether he should run again, with many concerned about his age and health.

Nearly 70 percent were concerned that they do not have the “necessary” mental and physical health and 55 percent responded that they have “serious” concerns.

And the White House has resisted that criticism. A report prepared by White House physician Dr. Kevin C. O’Connor and published in February stated that Biden is “a healthy, vigorous 80-year-old man.”

“President Biden remains a healthy, vigorous, 80-year-old man fit to successfully discharge the duties of the presidency,” O’Connor wrote.

However, it marked him suffering from a handful of conditions: ‘Significant spinal arthritis’, neuropathy in his feet and the lasting effects of breaking his foot in November 2020.

“The president’s gait remains stiff, but has not deteriorated since last year,” the doctor wrote.

Biden also showed signs of “cognitive impairment” – it has been noted that the stress of another presidency could further worsen his condition.

Dr Elena Mucci, a geriatric doctor and a member of the American College of Physicians, told DailyMail.com at the time the report was published, “If I were his geriatrician, I would discourage him from campaigning. I would argue strongly against it.’

She added: “If you were to ask healthcare professionals, geriatricians, cardiologists, I don’t think you’d find a single doctor who would say it’s a good thing for an 86-year-old to deal with the symptoms he’s been giving us. has already shown. to become president, both for his own health and for his country.’

During the 2020 election campaign, it was reported that Biden himself realized that his age meant he would run for president once.

He was reportedly happy to bridge the gap between the divisive Trump administration and whatever rising Democrat star appeared during his first term.

But Biden, who ran for president twice before finally winning on his third attempt, now gives no indication that he will relinquish his position.

Part of the problem is that there is no clear successor. VP Harris’ ratings are worse than his — and no other Democrats are considered strong contenders.

Biden also has a history of atrial fibrillation, or an irregular heartbeat, which he has suffered since 2003. He takes the blood thinner apixaban, brand name Eliquis, to treat the heart condition.

Dr. Stuart Fischer, an internist in New York, told DailyMail.com: “The increased risk is not only due to the fibrillation, but also secondary effects of the drug.

“These people are on blood thinners and when people are on these drugs they are at risk for internal bleeding or serious consequences from a fall.”

Earlier this year, Biden stumbled onto the steps of Air Force One as he returned to the United States after a three-day visit to Europe.

He said, “[If]someone falls and hits their head or hip while taking a blood thinner, they are more likely to have a medical emergency than for people not taking anticoagulants.”

“A head injury when someone is taking an anticoagulant is potentially disastrous,” he said.

Last year, he shot down claims that he is too old and mentally unfit to be president. “Look at me,” he told CBS correspondent Scott Pelley during an interview. But dr. Mucci said it’s normal for people to downplay their cognitive problems.

“Whether you’re going to lose your presidency, lose your driver’s license, or lose your job, subjectively, you’re going to underestimate your symptoms and not give them enough importance,” she said.

“I think (Biden) knows exactly what’s going on, but he hasn’t openly acknowledged it because he doesn’t want to lose that presidency.”

Biden’s health problems and old age increase his risk of dementia, according to Dr. Dung Trinh, a California internist.

He told DailyMail.com, “As we age, we lose about one percent of our brain volume per year.

“The risk of getting Alzheimer’s for someone who is 70 versus the risk of getting Alzheimer’s for someone who is 65 — that risk doubles in five years.”