Former President Donald Trump said “there is something wrong” with President Biden that goes beyond age, warning that the Democrat might not “make it to the gate.”
Mr. Biden’s mental lapses and verbal gaffes are warning signs of a bigger problem, Mr. Trump said Friday.
“He is not old, he is off,” Mr. Trump said at a campaign event in Council Bluffs, Iowa. “There is a difference because I know people that are 90 years old that are sharp as a tack — in fact, some of them are smarter than they were 20 years before.”
Mr. Trump, who is 77, said, “It is not age. There is something wrong.”
Mr. Biden and Democrats have played up the idea that they would love Mr. Trump to lead the GOP into the 2024 election. They believe voters will reject his polarizing brand of politics just as they did in 2020.
Concerns about Mr. Biden’s health and mental wherewithal, however, have hung over the race and his first term as president. Polls have shown that even a majority of Democrats want someone else to lead the party’s ticket next year, with many voters citing Mr. Biden’s age.
Mr. Biden became the nation’s oldest president after he took the oath of office at age 78 in 2021, stealing the mantle away from Mr. Trump, who was sworn in at age 70 in 2017.
If he wins again, Mr. Biden will take the oath of office at 82 years of age.
The situation has left some Democrats to consider a backup plan, and whether Vice President Kamala Harris or someone such as Gov. Gavin Newsom of California should replace Mr. Biden atop the ticket.
“In my opinion, he is incapable of running.” Mr. Trump said Friday. “I hate to say it because I am not sure he is going to make it to the gate, but I guess I would rather have him than somebody who is actually intelligent.”
“Although I wouldn’t mind running against Kamala,” he said, sparking laughter from the audience.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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