Democratic senators fear that President Joe Biden’s old age could cost the party the White House, but the subject is so taboo that it hasn’t even come up during their weekly private lunch.
Biden, 81, is facing additional scrutiny following the release last week of special counsel Robert Hur’s report of classified documents, in which the Trump-appointed DOJ official referred to the president’s “diminished capabilities.”
The report also said a jury would find Biden “a likeable, well-meaning older man with a poor memory,” which the White House said was a “gratuitous” characterization.
The Hill reported this on Tuesday about Senate Democrats’ concerns about Biden’s age and eligibility, but only two lawmakers, Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont and Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, were willing to talk about it on the record.
Welch advised that Biden should “show some energy,” while Stabenow claimed she had recently seen that kind of strength from the 81-year-old leader.
Democratic senators fear President Joe Biden’s old age could cost the party the White House, but the subject is so taboo it hasn’t even come up during their weekly private lunch
One senator, who remained anonymous, said Biden’s age did not come up during Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (left) weekly leadership lunches, while Sen. Peter Welch (right) said, “Biden can win… he needs to deal with the age problem’
“(His) energy level was high. He was in his element. I see a very different picture,” Stabenow said, pointing to a recent trip where Biden met with Black pastors and the United Auto Workers in Detroit, Michigan.
Another Democratic senator noted with surprise to The Hill that Biden’s age had not come up during the weekly meetings.
‘It was never discussed at all our lunches. It’s pretty amazing,” one Democratic senator told The Hill. “Nobody said, ‘We need to talk about this.’ Or: ‘Isn’t this a problem? Should we get him to come talk.”
“I’ve never heard anyone say, ‘Schumer needs to go over there and talk to him about it,'” the unnamed senator added. “But I don’t think that means people aren’t concerned about it. Look, I’m worried about it.’
Polls have shown for months that this is a major concern for American voters. with an AP poll from August that as many as 77 percent of American adults thought Biden was too old to be effective in a second term.
Another 51 percent said the same about former President Donald Trump, 77, the likely Republican nominee.
“I’m less concerned about his capabilities, I assume he’ll do it,” the Democratic senator said of Biden, “but I’m concerned about a lot of people in the country” who don’t think the president is ready for the task.
Senator Debbie Stabenow (center) said Biden’s (right) energy level was high. He was in his element. I see a very different picture,” referring to the president’s recent trip to Detroit, Michigan earlier this month
Welch told The Hill that Biden “can win,” but encouraged the president to take voters’ concerns about his age seriously.
During Biden’s heated news conference on Thursday evening, he told reporters “that’s your judgment” when asked questions about his age, his memory and his ability to do the job.
While Biden recently said there were other Democrats who could beat Trump, he argued that he deserved to be nominated “because I am the most qualified person in this country to be president of the United States and do the job that I’m on.” started.’
“Biden, he needs to address the age issue. He needs to show some energy, and he needs to show what the future is, and not just beat up on Trump,” Welch argued.
“Trump will be Trump, and people will come up with their own responses. They don’t need the Biden campaign to tell them how bad Trump is. Trump himself will take care of that,” the Vermont Democrat predicted. “There needs to be a real manifestation of energy and forward-thinking from the Biden campaign.”
A second unnamed Democratic senator told The Hill that there are concerns about Biden’s age, but there is also a feeling that the primaries are taking too long for Democrats to field a new candidate.
The Democratic primaries in Michigan will take place on February 27 and Super Tuesday will take place a week later.
Only Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips is still challenging Biden, as self-help guru Marianne Williamson dropped out of the race last week.
“The general feeling among people is that we have hitched our wagon to Biden, that he has delivered a lot in partnership. It may not be Biden himself, but it is his team. Right? And we are already in the primaries,” the second Democratic senator said.
Only a truly glaring health gap could turn the race on its head, the Democrat speculated.
“If there was something obvious like with Mitch McConnell,” the senator said, referring to the Republican leader’s public freeze.