In its first advertisement after the State of the Union address, the Biden campaign released a new ad that bookends a list of the administration’s accomplishments with the president making light-hearted references to his age.
“Look, I’m not a young guy. That’s no secret,” Biden, 81, says in the ad. “But here’s the deal. I understand how to get things done for the American people. I led the country through the Covid crisis. Today, we have the strongest economy in the world.”
The 60-second spot that went up Saturday is the first in a six-week, $30 million ad buy announced by the campaign this week. It will air on local broadcasts and cable television in critical swing states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, targeting young voters and voters of color in cities like Atlanta, Detroit, Las Vegas, Madison, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Raleigh.
The ad gives a glimpse of how the campaign aims to tackle the conversation around Biden’s age, which polling indicates is a liability in his re-election bid. An NBC News poll released last month found that 62% of voters had “major concerns” about the president’s age. Former President Donald Trump is 77.
“Y’all want to talk about age? Let’s talk about age,” said campaign communications director Michael Tyler said in a statement Saturday.
“At 77, Joe Biden beat Donald Trump. At 78, he led us through the COVID crisis, put us on a path to creating nearly 15 million new jobs since the day he took office, and passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to repair our roads and bridges and expand access to broadband internet to every community,” Tyler said. “At 79, he got us the most significant gun safety legislation in a generation and became the first president to beat Big Pharma and cap the cost of insulin at $35 for seniors.”
The final few seconds of the new ad features an outtake, when someone off camera asks the president for “one more take.”
“Look, I’m very young, energetic and handsome, what the hell am I doing this for?” Biden jokes.
The ad also aims to draw a contrast between Biden and Trump by highlighting the 2022 infrastructure law, moves to lower prescription drug prices and the president’s determination to “make Roe v. Wade the law of the land again.”
“Donald Trump believes the job of the president is to take care of Donald Trump,” Biden says in the ad. “I believe the job of the president is to fight for you, the American people, and that’s what I’m doing.”