“Joe and the other guy are basically the same age.”

PHOENIX B-24?

A bingo caller shouted Union jobs and Taking on Big Pharma for seniors to fill in with pencil cards that also included Dr. Jill Biden before the first lady herself showed up to address a crowd of about 250 people Saturday afternoon to try to allay the concerns of her husband, 81 years old. , faces increasing public scrutiny over his mental acuity.

Just hours after the first lady's event, President Biden undermined her message with his third viral moment in a week, appearing to freeze up at a celebrity-led fundraiser in Los Angeles before the former President Barack Obama did not make him leave the stage.

“This grandmother is proud to stand here with all of you to get to work and re-elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris,” Jill said in front of a Seniors for Biden-Harris sign.

On these issues, Biden focused on Social Security and Medicare in her brief speech.

“Donald Trump supported ending Medicare as we know it,” she said.

“He wants to cut Social Security to give more tax breaks to his billionaire friends,” she continued. “Make no mistake: Donald Trump is dangerous.”

The 73-year-old first lady tried to put a positive spin on her husband's age while attacking her 78-year-old Republican opponent.

Joe and the other guy are basically the same age, so let’s make no mistake about that,” she said.

“Biden is a healthy and wise 81-year-old ready to work every day to make our future better,” she continued, echoing a phrase she used the day before with Nevada voters after the president made headlines for his awkward behavior at the G7. peak and freeze during a Juneteenth celebration, as The Post reported.

The big question is whether the president can overcome concerns about aging, as only about 30% of registered voters believe he has “the mental and cognitive health to serve” as commander in chief, according to a report. CBS News survey. Trump fared better than Biden in the poll at 50%, but 23% said “none of them” were mentally fit to serve.

The first lady's visit was part of the Biden campaign's efforts to tap the older population, which a recent national poll shows is becoming increasingly competitive between current and former presidents. A May Quinnipiac University survey Biden leads Trump 55% to 43% with voters 65 and older when considering those who lean toward either candidate.

In Arizona, a recent American association for retired people survey showed Trump leading Biden 52% to 43% among voters 50 and older.

Event attendees the Post spoke with were more enthusiastic about preventing the former president from returning to office than re-electing Biden.

Robert of Phoenix, 68, said he was concerned about saving damn democracy and found out about the event Friday because he plays pickleball at the senior center that hosted the event. He thinks the administration has done a good job on infrastructure and the CHIPS Act, but said Republicans' return to the House majority in 2022 has discouraged the president's agenda.

Linda of Mesa and her friend Rose Conner of Gilbert both indicated they supported Biden because they believed in “preserving democracy.” When asked about Trump's visit to Phoenix last week, they called the now-viral moment where he embraced controversial former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio “disgusting” and “scary.”

Trump headlined a town hall of thousands of supporters in north Phoenix, where he primarily addressed Biden's immigration and economic policies. It was his first event in the Grand Canyon State since the midterm elections and his first event overall following his conviction in the secret trial of Stormy Daniels, the Post reported at the time.

Ahead of Biden's visit, the conservative group Citizens for Free Enterprise criticized efforts to target older voters, targeting the White House's economic policies.

“No one is buying what President Biden is selling,” said Jesse Hunt, a spokesperson for Citizens for Free Enterprise. “Seniors on fixed incomes have watched in dismay as they are crushed by inflation, forcing them to make difficult choices during what should be the golden years of life. Bidenomics has been a disaster for American seniors, no one can afford four more years.”

Phoenix is ​​just one stop on the first lady's Seniors for Biden-Harris tour, as she traveled to Reno, Nevada, and Duluth, Minnesota, to rally support for her late husband. last week. Biden narrowly won Arizona in 2020 and a New York Times exit survey of the election, Trump led by just 1% with voters over 65.