MSNBC host Rachel Maddow attempted to counter claims that President Biden is too old to lead the White House by mentioning that he has the ability to ride a bicycle, despite the embarrassing stumble he suffered in June 2022.
The issue of Biden’s age returned to the spotlight this week following a special prosecutor’s damning finding that he mishandled classified materials but was perceived as too old for a jury to convict.
It said a jury would likely conclude that he had “diminished faculties” and was a “well-intentioned old man with a bad memory.”
In a discussion on Maddow’s late-night show about the case, commentator Chris Hayes noted that Biden’s age is a politically touchy issue since he cannot refute the fact that he is 81 years old.
‘He rides a bicycle!’ Maddow chimed in, a comment that was quickly mocked online.
MSNBC host Rachel Maddow attempted to counter claims that President Biden is too old to lead the White House by mentioning that he has the ability to ride a bike on Friday.
Maddow’s comment that Biden can ride a bike was mocked, as many brought up a June 2022 incident in which the president fell off his bike while on vacation.
Following the release of the special counsel’s report Thursday night, many commented that Biden made things worse by holding an impromptu press conference.
After proclaiming, “I know what the hell I’m doing!”, the president confused the presidents of Egypt and Mexico in another gaffe.
And with polls showing Biden’s age becoming an increasingly important issue among likely 2024 voters, Hayes admitted it could be the president’s undoing.
“We need to be clear here, age is the central narrative issue around which all of this revolves,” he said, pointing to the age factor in how charges were never brought against Biden.
‘In terms of its political repercussions, the way the news happened today and the questions that were asked by various figures there.
“And in the end, what makes it such a useful political tool for people who want Donald Trump to be elected, or (Biden) not to be re-elected, is that the fact of his age is not something that can be refuted.” . ‘
Hayes compared the line of attack to another popular one on the political right, that Biden may be too liberal, to argue that Biden can’t necessarily get out of this.
“If someone says, ‘You’re too far left,’ you can contact the center,” he said. ‘But the man is 80 years old!’
Despite the widely reported incident in June 2020 when Biden, who is actually 81 years old, fell off his bicycle after his foot apparently got stuck, Maddow felt that his record of bicycling ability qualifies him as young enough to lead.
After smiling at the joke, Hayes concluded: “He’s as old as he is; for that reason, it’s a very useful political attack.”
It’s far from the first time Maddow appears to show her preference for the Democratic side of Washington, and she recently came under fire for refusing to broadcast Donald Trump’s victory speeches because they are full of “fake stuff.”
Maddow’s joke came after commentator Chris Hayes argued that age is a politically sensitive issue for Biden, because the 81-year-old “is as old as he is.”
Joe Biden photographed falling off his bicycle during a ride near his Rehoboth Beach home in Delaware in June 2022, as he and his wife celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary.
It was far from Biden’s only such mistake, including a stumble while climbing the stairs to Air Force One in March 2021.
Maddow’s comment generated sarcastic responses online, with some feeling that she was trivializing the important issue of Biden’s perceived competence.
‘So riding a bike is the only prerequisite to being president of the United States!’ said conservative commentator Kathleen Winchell.
Another said: “My three-year-old son was riding a bike too.”
“The standards for the Presidency have surely collapsed,” added another. “He can ride a bike is now a qualifier.”
It came after Biden angrily addressed the nation Thursday night to condemn the special counsel’s conclusion about his perceived advanced age, telling Americans: “I know what I’m doing!” and insisting that ‘my memory is fine.’
He continued at the hastily prepared press conference: “Take a look at what I’ve done since becoming president.”
‘No one thought any of the things I went through could happen. How did that happen? I guess I just forgot what was going on…’
However, moments later he made another surprising mistake, referring to the Egyptian leader as president of Mexico.
Special prosecutor Robert Hur’s 388-page report confirmed that he would not be charged for storing classified documents in his garage.
But he said that was because a jury would likely conclude that he had “diminished faculties” and was an “older, well-intentioned man with a poor memory.”
On Thursday night, Biden bristled at special prosecutor Robert Hur’s accusation that the Scranton native did not know when his son Beau died, part of the damning conclusion that a jury would likely conclude he had “diminished faculties” and that It was a “good.” that is, an old man with a bad memory.
The president was particularly encouraged by Hur’s inclusion of the claim that he could not remember the moment of his son Beau’s death.
Hur’s report said: “He did not remember, even after several years, when his son Beau died.”
Biden brought up the issue himself, furious: ‘There’s even a reference that I don’t remember when my son died. How the hell dare you bring that up? I don’t need anyone, I don’t need anyone, to remind me when he passed away.
“Frankly, when they asked me the question, I thought, it was none of their business.”
He also said reports of his “intentional” withholding of documents were “misleading.”
At one point he shouted: ‘I didn’t share classified information! I did not!’