<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>Never before has a sitting US president faced 80 candles on a birthday cake -- and the milestone that Joe Biden reaches on Sunday has undeniable ramifications as he ponders running again in 2024.</b></span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The White House so far has not revealed any celebration plans, focusing instead on preparations for the wedding on Saturday of Biden's granddaughter.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Biden himself jokes about the big 8-0. "I can't even say the age I am going to be," he said on MSNBC. "I can't even get it out of my mouth.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And he brushes off questions about whether he should seek reelection that would put him in power until aged 86, responding with two words: "Watch me."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">- 'Fit for duty' -</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A year ago, after an extensive medical checkup, doctors said Biden had only a few minor ailments and concluded that he was "fit for duty."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The slender president neither smokes nor drinks, remains physically active and hasn't had any major health concerns since having surgery for two life-threatening brain aneurysms in 1988. AFP</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>