President Joe Biden turned 81 on Monday, and he’s apparently taking his strategists’ advice to embrace his advanced age instead of downplaying it.
Biden joined Threads, an Instagram service, to post a picture of his birthday cake with several dozen candles.
Afterward, Biden faced mockery for posing a surreal image of a blazing cake.
“The cake reminds me of a state of the US economy it is in,” one Twitter user said. Another pundit added, “Biden is so old his birthday cake looks like a bonfire.”
The photo quickly became a meme, with some users adding their own captions.
Some Democrats have urged Biden to brag about his age, instead of becoming defensive about it.
“He’s been successful because of his age, not in spite of it,” Democrat strategist Simon Rosenberg told The New York Times on Sunday.
“We’re all going to have to make that case because it’s true. We can’t run away from the age issue. It’s going to be a major part of the conversation, but we would be making a political mistake if we don’t contest it more aggressively.”
Sure enough, Biden cracked a canned joke on Instagram.
“Turns out on your 146th birthday, you run out of space for candles,” he said, adding on Threads, “To all the workers at the birthday candle factory, I hope your union got you overtime.”
Take a look —
The cake reminds me of a state of the US economy it is in
— Zorg Trading (@zorgtrading) November 21, 2023
Get 50% off annual DailyWire+ memberships here: https://t.co/SwnlprAFpF pic.twitter.com/97rnKA4yYI
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) November 21, 2023
White House spokesperson Robyn Patterson told Axios Monday that the White House would begin using Threads while still maintaining its other channels.
Vice President Kamala Harris launched an official account on Threads the same day, with a Biden-Harris campaign account to match. “Join me in wishing @JoeBiden a very happy birthday—and a warm welcome to Threads,” she posted.
The comments on Biden’s Threads post tended to come from his supporters, but some conservatives commented too. In fact, the top comment on Threads said, “Trump 2024.”
Regarding the cake, one conservative said on Threads, “You remembered your birthday?” Meanwhile, a far-Left user of Threads said, “Call for a ceasefire and end the genocide.”
The Associated Press contributed to this article.