President Biden tapdanced around questions about his age and concerns among even voters in his own party that he is too old to seek reelection to the most important job in the world.
Already the oldest president in U.S. history, 80-year-old Biden would be 86 by the time he leaves office, if reelected, leading many Democratic voters to say he should step aside.
“They’re not right or wrong,” the president told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria in an interview that aired Sunday. “Look, to use the phrase again, I think we’re at an inflection point. I think the world is changing. And I think there is one thing that comes with age, if you’re — been honest about it your whole life, and that is some wisdom.”
His sales pitch touched on another aspect identical to every incumbent president who has sought reelection: “I just want to finish the job,” he said.
“I think we’re on the cusp of being able to make significant positive changes in the world,” Mr. Biden said. “I think we’re putting the world together in a way that is going to make things significantly, how can I say it, more secure for people. We’re uniting democracies — have the possibility of uniting democracies in a way that hadn’t happened ever.”
Large swaths of voters — including Democrats — in recent polls have expressed concern about his age and health, in addition to that of a potential Republican challenger who’s just three years younger at the age of 77: former President Donald Trump.
Roughly two-thirds of voters said in a recent NBC News poll that they have major or moderate concerns about Mr. Biden’s mental and physical health, compared to 55% who felt the same about Mr. Trump.
Mr. Trump suggested at a campaign event last week in Iowa that “there is something wrong” with Mr. Biden beyond age, a reference to his frequent verbal gaffes, mental lapses and accidental falls.
“He is not old, he is off,” Mr. Trump said. “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.”
• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.
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