Happy Birthday, Mr. President!

Shhh! Joe Biden’s birthday is coming up!

On November 20, President Joe Biden will turn 80 years old. The White House would prefer that the occasion be kept on the proverbial downlow. Not because Biden doesn’t want to make a big deal out of it and certainly not because staffers are planning a surprise party. They could hold one of those every day and he would still be surprised. And Biden’s handlers deal with enough surprises on a regular basis as it is.

Maybe it’s because of this:

Or this:

Or this:

Or this:

Or even this:

Politico is reporting that the White House is experiencing some “trepidation” about the upcoming milestone. Biden’s big day is coming on the heels of the midterms and the spotlight could fall once again on his age and the bizarre comments, missteps, and other signs that he is not up to the job as POTUS. Politico notes that, should Biden seek and win re-election, he would take the oath of office at the age of 82. He is already the oldest person ever to hold the position.

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Politico said that the plan appears to be to downplay Biden’s birthday and focus on his accomplishments. White House spokesman Andrew Bates told the site:

“Like President Biden has said, anyone with questions about his age should just watch him: he has delivered record job creation, made NATO the strongest it has ever been, and amassed the most significant legislative record since LBJ in less than half of one term. I don’t have a comment about whether POLITICO is invited to his birthday.”

That quote in and of itself is remarkably tone-deaf, and not simply because of the birthday crack. Who would want to attend such a sad event anyway? If Biden played Pin the Tail on the Donkey, he would probably end up wandering around Foggy Bottom, sticking random strangers in their backsides.

Speaking of pinning tails on donkeys, gaffes, goofs, bloopers, and blunders aside, let’s take a quick look at some of the things that have transpired on the birthday boy’s watch. Skyrocketing inflation and gas prices, a dwindling Strategic Petroleum Reserve, rampant crime, a weaponized federal justice system, a humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan, a threat of increased tax audits, a looming recession that could result in massive layoffs, a polarized nation, the enforcement of CRT on every level, a renewed threat in Iran, an emboldening of our enemies, the specter of nuclear war, humiliation on the world stage, the rise of ESG, censorship, backdoor deals, and a laptop full of secrets … I could go on.

So it’s probably true that the White House does not want to draw attention to the fact that the President of the United States is clearly a man in his dotage. But it also probably realizes that there is nothing to celebrate.