Frank Luntz, one of America’s best known pollsters, who has known Mr Biden for years and worked with his administration, believes the president is “prepared to ignore the polls”.
Mr Luntz believes White House aides will deploy what is known as “the rose garden strategy” for the 2024 campaign – essentially maximising the power of the Oval office to get media coverage rather than “travelling the country”.
Meanwhile, officials appear to be going to considerable lengths to mitigate the effects of the gruelling job on a man now in his ninth decade.
Tight schedule
Part of this involves the president’s team carefully managing his schedule, with most of his public appearances occurring between midday and 4pm, according to an analysis by US media.
Mr Biden spends most weekends either in his Delaware beach house or at Camp David, the presidential country retreat.
According to the Washington Examiner, Mr Biden has spent around 40 per cent of his days away from the White House, leading the newspaper to brand him the “vacationer in chief”.
Skipping dinner
During gruelling overseas trips, Mr Biden has sometimes opted to skip dinners at international gatherings and pass up the opportunity to engage in some soft diplomacy with other world leaders.
He skipped dinner at the G20 summit in Indonesia last year, and again at a summit in Japan in May.
He also opted against dining with fellow Nato leaders at a summer summit in Vilnius, which the president’s aides candidly admitted was down to his busy schedule, and the need to prepare for a speech the following day.
Cue cards
Mr Biden’s aides carefully stagecraft his public appearances.
The president is often given a hand-held mic to hold close to his mouth for speeches – even when standing at a lectern fitted with a mic – to amplify his voice, which has become noticeably softer with age.
He has been spotted appearing to rely on cue cards, including during a trip to Downing Street in July.
Allies have pointed out Mr Biden is not the only president to rely on crib sheets. Donald Trump was photographed holding cue cards on numerous occasions, including one prompting him to say “I hear you” when meeting gun violence survivors.
