President Joe Biden was brusque with a reporter who asked him how his age could affect his prospects of seeking re-election in 2024.
The exchange took place over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, just days after Biden celebrated his 81st birthday amid concerns about his fitness to serve a second term.
“Mr. President, are you too old to run for re-election?” the journalist asked Biden while he was shopping in Nantucket, Massachusetts, on Saturday.
“That’s stupid,” Biden responded with a smile, as shown in a clip aired on “fox news sunday.”
Lucas Tomlinson, Fox News correspondent: “The oldest president in American history also continues to face questions about his age, even here in Nantucket.”
Fox News Sunday then airs a clip of a reporter asking Biden if he is too old to run for re-election. That reporter is Tomlinson. pic.twitter.com/BVSgIiMVC0
-Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) November 26, 2023
Biden, already the oldest person to be president, would be 86 at the end of a second term. Biden’s tendency to lose his train of thought as he speaks, along with moments caught on camera in which he stumbled or fell, have raised concerns about his ability to lead effectively.
Recent surveys reflect concerns about the president being too old, and some Democrats, including former Obama adviser David Axelrod, have openly mused about whether Biden should run for a second term.
Former President Donald Trump, the Republican Party’s favorite in the 2024 presidential race, is 77 years old, but polls don’t reflect as much concern about his age as they do about Biden. Trump even posted a doctor’s note touting good health when Biden turned 81 last week.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre recently insisted There was “no alarm behind the scenes” when asked how issues surrounding Biden’s age and health could affect his eligibility.
And the White House published a health summary from Biden’s doctor in February who stated that the president remained “healthy,” “vigorous” and “fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency” even as the president receives treatment for a number of ailments.
Some Republicans have noted There was no indication that Biden has administered a cognitive test during his presidency and asked him to take one or withdraw from the 2024 race.
During a Fox News interview broadcast Sunday, Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX), a former White House doctor during the Trump administration and other previous administrations, opined that Biden has proven that he “cannot do the job” as president.
