In 1984, President Ronald Reagan answered the age question with a clever joke that reset his campaign from a stumbling debate performance to a 49-state landslide and a second term. The wobbles came during his first debate with Democratic Vice President Walter Mondale. Two weeks later, the opponents returned to the debate stage and Reagan, the oldest president in history until President Joe Biden took that title, got his moment. He said: “I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent’s youth and inexperience.” The 81-year-old Biden is hoping to bounce back after a disastrous debate against 77-year-old Republican Donald Trump.
