Joe Biden, America’s oldest president, gained backing from an unlikely source: Donald Trump said the Democrat was “not too old” to run for re-election, but immediately added, “I think he’s incompetent.”
The former president’s remarks, which will be broadcast on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, come as America faces a significant discussion over the aging of its political elite, a crucial concern ahead of the 2024 elections, when Biden will be just shy of 82 and Trump himself will be 78.
While the age difference between the two men is tiny, polls show that Americans are more concerned about Biden’s age, with one survey finding that three out of four respondents doubt his capacity to serve a second term.
The fact that Trump completed his presidency as the second-oldest president ever (Ronald Reagan was 77 at the end of his term) provides a challenge for the real estate mogul in portraying Biden as too “sleepy” to do the job.
But it hasn’t stopped the Republican, who would be 82 by the end of a second term, from trying.
“Some of the world’s greatest leaders have been in their 80s,” he told NBC. “By the way, I’m not even close to 80.
“And Biden’s not too old,” Trump adds. “But I think he’s incompetent, and that’s a bigger problem.”
Biden, who overcame stuttering as a child, has been criticized for his speech errors.
However, he remains trim and physically active, does not drink, and is frequently seen riding his bicycle on weekends in his Delaware home.
Democrats claim he’s also competent, having presided over the adoption of key measures such as a massive infrastructure bill, the largest gun-control bill in decades, and the Build Back Better social spending program.
Biden has also been involved in international affairs. Indeed, during his recent trip to Vietnam, which critics think was orchestrated in part to highlight his energy, the country’s 79-year-old Communist leader smiledly praised Biden on his youth.
Trump, for his part, has received mainly excellent feedback during annual physicals, despite being classified as overweight and doing no exercise other than golf. He, like Biden, does not drink.
Trump, like everyone else, has had his share of strange verbal moments, garbled pronunciations, and physical missteps.
However, in the NBC interview, he stated that his own age is unimportant to him, citing his parents’ long lives.
“So, genetically, that’s a good thing.”
His insistence on his own competence was mocked during the 2020 presidential campaign when Trump claimed to have received a “amazing” rating on a mental acuity test.
He claimed he had to know these phrases in order: “person, woman, man, camera, TV.”
Political opponents mocked his pride and repeated recitation of those five words, which went viral on social media.
Still, in an apparent allusion to the NBC interview, Trump stated, “I aced it.” “I did everything correctly.”
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