Former President Barack Obama’s chief campaign strategist David Axelrod said that Joe Biden’s campaign seems to be trying to protect him from making gaffes or appearing to be too old for the presidency.

Axelrod told the New York Times that he thought the campaign’s strategy of insulating Biden from the press and holding back the famously garrulous former vice president from making any controversial remarks has worked so far, but said the campaign will have to pivot to allow him to be “more venturesome” with his remarks and appearances.