A former Senate colleague of President Joe Biden said this week that he is “too old” for another term, but that the Democratic Party will likely have to nominate him. The comments by former Sen. Dennis DeConcini (D-AZ) correlate with a number of recent opinion polls that show significant public concern regarding the president’s age and health.
DeConcini said in an interview that Biden “may be too old and stumble a little bit” but that the Democratic Party would likely lose if they nominated Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I don’t think she could be elected,” he said.
The former senator’s comments come as several polls indicate that the electorate is concerned that Biden is too old to run again.
A recent Wall Street Journal poll found that 73% of voters believed that Biden was too old for another tenure in the White House. That figure included a significant majority of Democrats.
PETER DOOCY: "Why do you think it is…that 2/3rds of Democrats think President Biden is too old to run again?"
JEAN-PIERRE: "I can speak to a president who has wisdom. I can speak to a president who has experience. I can speak to a president who has taken historic action…!" pic.twitter.com/tQocf4Dqyf
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) September 5, 2023
Biden, 80, is the oldest president in American history.
Interestingly, a minority believed that former President Donald Trump, 77, was too old for the job.
The same poll had other bad news for the president. A majority of voters, 60%, believed that Biden did not have the mental fitness for the White House. However, the public did not have the same sentiment about Trump, as only 49% agreed that the former president had the mental sharpness for the job.
Voters also significantly disapproved of a number of elements of Biden’s job performance. On issues such as inflation and border security, more than 60% disapproved. Furthermore, another majority gave Biden negative ratings for his handling of relations with China.
Biden himself has commented on the concern recently. During a Labor Day event in Philadelphia this week, Biden said that he’s heard comments that “he’s getting old, man.”
“The only thing that comes with age is a little bit of wisdom,” he said. “I’ve been doing this longer than anybody and guess what? I’m going to continue to do it with your help.”
