Biden, 80, admits he ‘can’t even say his age’ when asked if he’s too old to run
Biden, 80, admits he ‘can’t even say his age’ when asked if he’s too old to run again – and says Trump should be beaten because he’s a ‘danger to democracy’
- Biden, 80, shrugs his age
- “I can’t even say the number, it doesn’t register me,” he said
Joe Biden, who at 80 is the oldest president in US history, downplayed concerns about his age on Wednesday by saying “it doesn’t register with me.”
The president announced on Tuesday that he was seeking a second term and if he wins, he would be 86 when he leaves the White House. Some Democrats have expressed concern about Biden’s age and health and question whether Biden is at his best as a nominee.
But Biden brushed off a question about his advanced years during a press conference with South Korean President Yoon Sun Yeol.
“As for the age, I can’t even say — I guess how old I am, I can’t even say the number, it doesn’t register me,” he said. He added that he expected voters to “take a good look at it, I would too.” I looked at it before I decided to flee.’
President Joe Biden, 80, shrugs his age
His doctor has cleared him fit to serve, but Biden has shown signs of feeling his years: He sometimes walks with a limp, he has tripped as he climbed the stairs to board Air Force One, and he has multiple verbal blunders made.
But on Wednesday, he also said he is running because Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination, is a “threat to democracy.”
He admitted that he “might not be the only” Democrat who could beat Trump, but added: “I know him well and I know the danger he poses to our democracy.
He said he would still compete even if Trump wasn’t seeking a rematch of their 2020 contest.
“Yeah, I think I’d still be running if he wasn’t,” he said. “I think we should get the job done, nail it.”
Republicans have questioned Biden’s age and his health status as the campaign progresses.
Some, like presidential candidate Nikki Haly, have called for candidates over 75 to take a cognitive test.
The GOP is also expected to use Biden’s age to question Kamala Harris’ suitability to be commander in chief. She is expected to be a target in the campaign as Republicans ask Americans if they are comfortable with her next in line for president.
And whether or not she turns out to be a political liability — as some Democrats fear — remains to be seen.