Six more years: how long can Biden go on?

The presidency of the United States is hard work, everybody knows that. It’s also a pretty sweet gig for should-be retirees. The 80-year-old Joe Biden and First Lady Jill just spent six days holidaying on St Croix in the Caribbean. Biden’s critics have been quick to point out that he has so far spent some 260 of his 715 days in office on vacation. That’s more than even the famously self-indulgent septuagenarian Donald Trump spent chillaxing at his estate in Florida.

Who knew that leading the free world could be a part-time job? And with so much downtime, plus such power and perks, why would any proud gerontocrat quit?

It’s been widely reported that Biden spent some of his time on St Croix having ‘the conversation’ with Jill and other loved ones – i.e. discussing whether or not he will run again in 2024. Even Biden’s allies admit that he’s not exactly young for his considerable age. He looks increasingly frail and his cognitive faculties often desert him. Can he really expect to carry out his duties up to January 2029, the fag end of his second term, when he’ll be 86? At the risk of sounding morbid, will he even make it that far?

Six months ago, the on dit in Democratic circles was that Biden may well accept his orders from Father Time and stand aside. A lot has changed, however, and now the prevailing view among Washington insiders is that Biden expects to run next year. He also expects to win.

Bidenologists all make the same point: he spent five decades trying to be president, why would he stop now? ‘Failure at some point in your life is inevitable,’ he once said. ‘But giving up is unforgivable.’