A question of age

Joe Biden’s age is becoming a key election issue. [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( It’s the niggling question Joe Biden bats away, but one that keeps coming back now that the 80-year-old has announced he’s running again for the presidency: his age. Already the oldest president in US history, Biden joked about it at the White House Correspondents’ dinner: “Call me old, I call it being seasoned. You say I am ancient, I say I’m wise.” His main Republican rival, 76-year-old Donald Trump, isn’t exactly a spring chicken either. And yet the issue is badgering the incumbent more than the man he defeated back in 2020. Key Reading: - [Biden Trails Trump as His Approval Rating Hits Low in ABC Poll]( - [Biden Says Son Hunter Did ‘Nothing Wrong’ as DOJ Weighs Charges]( - [Biden Not Ready Yet to Invoke 14th Amendment to Avoid US Default]( - [Yellen Says No Good Alternative to Congress Lifting Debt Cap]( - [Can Joe Biden Beat Donald Trump Again? (Podcast)]( For Democrats working on the assumption that Biden could win a possible rematch, the latest opinion poll for ABC News and the Washington Post is like an ice-cold shower: 44% said they would “definitely” or “probably” vote for Trump compared with 38% for the president. As president, Biden has never enjoyed high approval ratings, but what is telling is that many — 68% — see him as too old for another term, while only 44% see Trump as too advanced in years. This is a data point worth taking note of, even 18 months away from the election. Friends and foes alike, from partners in Europe and Asia to Russian President Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping, are paying close attention. There used to be a famous US saying that “politics stops at the water’s edge” — meaning foreign policy should be a bipartisan issue — but that’s long gone, putting further pressure on the incumbent at a time of great power rivalry. The US is increasingly consumed by its own domestic turmoil, from what to do about its uncontrollable gun violence to a looming debt default. Externally, it will take all of Biden’s energy to keep allies in line to support Ukraine even as the attention of Congress drifts to containing China. Those are a lot of balls to juggle at one time — regardless of age. [​​​](—[Flavia Krause-Jackson]( Biden quiets the crowd during the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on April 29. Photographer: Nathan Howard/Bloomberg [Sign up]( for the new Bloomberg Washington Edition newsletter delivered weekdays. And if you are enjoying this newsletter, [sign up here](. Global Headlines Ukraine shot down 35 Iranian-made Shahed drones sent by Russia into the Kyiv region overnight, the Ukrainian Air Force said on Telegram, while [missiles hit the Odesa region](. The head of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said Moscow had promised him sufficient ammunition to continue a campaign in Bakhmut in Ukraine’s east, walking back a threat to abandon the battle. The landmark visit to South Korea by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida wrapped up with pledges to seek cooperation on high-tech goods and commitments on a renewed reliance between the nations that are key to US security policies. The visit marked the [first formal summit]( in Seoul between the neighbors in a dozen years. The global trading system is undergoing tectonic shifts that will reorient international supply chains for decades to come. Despite talk of globalization’s demise, economic integration via cross-border commerce has shown [remarkable resilience]( through war, famine and a pandemic. Arab League states rejected US warnings and voted [unanimously]( yesterday to readmit Syria, effectively ending President Bashar Al-Assad’s decade of isolation. The decision may be formalized next week. Syria was suspended from the bloc in response to Assad’s brutal crackdown on opponents after the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, actions that led to an ongoing civil war. - Read why efforts to end Syria’s war have gained new [impetus](. Best of Bloomberg Opinion - [What Happens When Local Government Goes Mad: Francis Wilkinson]( - [Rishi Sunak Flunks His First Electoral Test as PM: Martin Ivens]( - [AI Experts Aren’t Always Right About AI: Tyler Cowen]( Vilified as terrorists by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Kurdish politicians have [emerged as kingmakers]( in an opposition bid to unseat the Turkish president and could become a legislative force after a cliffhanger election that risks creating a hung parliament. For Turkey’s $900 billion economy, the political jigsaw that takes shape after May 14 will be critical to navigating what’s likely a period of great volatility for the local currency and markets. - Turkish opposition candidate Ekrem Imamoglu was pelted with stones at a rally and blamed the [attack]( on Erdogan’s ruling party. WATCH: For the first time in 20 years, Turkey’s president is facing a real political challenge. Source: Bloomberg Explainers You Can Use - [EU Climate Diplomats Rethink Push to Phase Out Fossil Fuels]( - [Eskom Is Fighting Corruption at Every Step of Its Supply Chain]( - [Texas GOP Seeks to Take Over Elections in Democratic Houston]( Chile’s opposition dealt another [electoral blow]( to leftist President Gabriel Boric, winning the most seats on a council that’s charged with drafting a new constitution. Boric rose to power on the back of a wave of social unrest with pledges of a progressive agenda enshrined in a new charter, but his plans look in doubt after leftist candidates lost out in yesterday’s voting to an ultra-conservative party, suggesting the country is steering back to the right. Tune in to Bloomberg TV’s Balance of Power at 5pm to 6pm ET weekdays with Washington correspondents [Annmarie Hordern]( and [Joe Mathieu](. You can watch and listen on Bloomberg channels and online [here](. News to Note - Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang met US Ambassador Nicholas Burns in the [highest-level meeting]( in weeks between the world’s biggest economies, signaling Beijing may soon allow more senior-level discussions. - The Biden administration is working hard to stress that it isn’t pursuing a long-term rupture or [“decoupling”]( of the US and Chinese economies and will take that message to the Group of Seven summit, [Shawn Donnan]( writes. - Exceedingly graphic images that circulated on social media from the mass shooting at a mall in Texas have added to the fervor in the US [gun-control]( debate. - China is expected to roll out [new policies]( to protect supply chains and boost its birth rate, after Xi led a high-profile meeting that established these areas as top economic priorities. - Myanmar’s crippling power outages are [threatening]( the economic recovery of the conflict-ridden Southeast Asian nation, where a military coup in 2021 left the country struggling to source fuel for gas-fired electricity plants. Thanks to the 53 people who answered our Friday quiz and congratulations to Lincoln Carnam for naming soybeans as the crop that Xi is pushing farmers to increase production of to reduce China’s 80% dependence on imports. And finally ... The line outside Boston’s American Red Cross Food Pantry on a recent Saturday morning stretched the length of two football fields. It and other groups across the US have been flooded with requests for help since food-stamp recipients were hit [with a double blow](: the expiration of a temporary boost in benefits during the Covid-19 pandemic and onerous grocery prices. “People are really crashing,” pantry Director David Andre said. The American Red Cross Boston Food Pantry on April 26. Photographer: Kayana Szymczak/Bloomberg Follow Us Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. Want to sponsor this newsletter? [Get in touch here](. 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