President Joe Biden wasn't the only one to make light of his birthday and advanced age on Monday, with many on social media cracking jokes about the number of candles on his birthday cake.
"Joe Biden's cake has so many candles on it that it nearly burned down the White House," commented one user on X, formerly known as Twitter, in response to a photo shared by the president showing him in front of a cake decorated with dozens of candles. Fireworks
Joe Biden’s birthday cake has so many candles on it that it nearly burned down the White House. pic.twitter.com/hzOQSsknx6
Biden celebrated his 81st birthday on Monday, marking the occasion with a tongue-in-cheek joke about his age on social media.
"Turns out on your 146th birthday, you run out of space for candles!" he wrote in an Instagram post in which he was smiling in front of his birthday cake. The flames of the candles, packed onto the cake, formed a fiery ring on the top of the dessert.
"Does the secret service have a fire division?" one user commented below the post. "Cake is literally on fire," wrote another.
"Nothing has ever been or will ever be funnier to me than this photo of Joe Biden with his birthday cake," a social media user wrote on X, sharing the photo on Biden's original Instagram post.
"Can't get over Biden's birthday cake," wrote another, sharing a gif from the tv show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air setting a pan on fire.
Can’t get over Biden’s birthday cake photo pic.twitter.com/xaSytu4wHI
Biden's age has been under the spotlight since he became president in 2020, and concerns have only grown louder since he announced he'll run for reelection in 2024.
According to a poll conducted by the Wall Street Journal in late August, nearly three-quarters of voters (73 percent) believe Biden is "too old to run for president" and serve another term. If reelected, Biden will be 86 at the end of a second term.
The same poll found that only 47 percent of respondents said that age was an issue for Donald Trump, who's only three years younger than Biden. Trump will be 78 by election day in 2024.
Biden was already 78 when he took office, which makes him the oldest president to take the oath at the White House.
A Harvard-Harris poll released last month found that 58 percent of voters said they have doubts about his fitness for office, and 67 percent said he was too old to be president. The survey was taken of 2,116 registered voters on October 18 and 19.
Newsweek contacted the White House for comment by email on Tuesday.
The president has previously addressed these concerns by saying that his age had given him "wisdom."
"I'll tell you what, someone said you know, that Biden he's getting old, man," the president said on Labor Day during a visit to Philadelphia. "The only thing that comes with age is a little bit of wisdom. I've been doing this longer than anybody, and guess what? I'm going to continue to do it with your help."
On Monday, the president spent his birthday pardoning the Thanksgiving turkeys at the White House, a tradition that marked its 76th anniversary this year.
Biden noted that he wasn't present the first time the turkeys were pardoned at the White House because he was too young. He later joked that he was only turning 60.
"I just want you to know it's difficult turning 60. Difficult," he said.
The president and first lady, Jill Biden, will travel to Nantucket in Massachusetts on Tuesday to spend Biden's birthday and Thanksgiving with family members.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek Reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. and European politics, global affairs and housing. She has covered the ups and downs of the U.S. housing market extensively, as well as given in-depth insights into the unfolding war in Ukraine. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate of Nottingham Trent University. Languages: English, Italian, French.
You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.
Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek Reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. and European politics, global affairs ... Read more
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