Bernie Sanders dismisses concerns about Joe Biden’s fitness for office as he backs the president’s reelection efforts and urges progressives to “unify” with the Democrat in 2024.
Biden’s critics say he’s too old and mentally and physically unfit for his duties, but Sanders, 81, says the 80-year-old president “sounded good to me” when they met about two months ago .
The president has suffered numerous falls lately, and his blunders and verbal errors have multiplied since taking office.
But Sanders says all Biden has to do is focus on his record and he will win another four years in office. And the energetic octogenarian senator from Vermont has repeatedly sought to prove that age is just a number.
“When people look at a candidate, whether it’s Joe Biden, Trump, or Bernie Sanders, anybody else, you know, they have to weigh a lot of factors,” Sanders told the NBC Meet host. the Press, Chuck Todd, Sunday morning.
He said when asked about his concerns about Biden’s age: “I met the president, I don’t know, five or six weeks ago. We had an excellent discussion. It seemed to me.
Biden has fallen several times over the past year, including falling off his bike while riding in Rehoboth Beach, tripping down the stairs of Air Force One several times, and almost tripping on stage at the following his remarks at the Air Force Academy graduation earlier this summer.
Senator Bernie Sanders said Joe Biden “seemed fine” when they met two months ago, as concerns continue to swirl about the president’s age and fitness for office. Even though Sanders, 81, says age matters, he doesn’t think it’s the main concern in the 2024 election.
As Biden’s slips and verbal blunders mount, some wonder if the 80-year-old will be able to pull off another four years in office.
“I think at the end of the day, what we have to ask ourselves is, ‘What are people standing for?’ health care, climate change and the economy, rather than focusing on age.
“So age is an issue, Chuck, but there are a lot of bigger issues than that,” the independent progressive senator added.
Several young Republican primary candidates have repeatedly pointed to generational issues in politics and are calling for a new wave of leadership.
The youngest is rising star and political underdog Vivek Ramaswamy, 38, who, if he wins, would be the first-ever Gen Y president. Ramaswamy was a resounding success in the first Republican presidential debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin , Wednesday.
Republican Party hopeful Nikki Haley, 51, said there should be an age limit of 75 for those wishing to serve in the federal government. It would disqualify the likes of Biden, Sanders and even former President Donald Trump from public office.
It doesn’t appear that Democrats are interested in nominating another candidate in 2024, despite growing criticism of Biden not only due to his age and fitness for office, but also growing congressional investigations. on Biden family corruption and impending impeachment threats to Republicans. .
Asked if there should be a competitive primary election for the Democratic nomination rather than deferring to the incumbent, Sanders, who backs Biden, said it was time for progressives to s unite around the current president.
“At this particular time, at this particular time in American history, where we’re dealing with someone – the former president – who actually doesn’t believe in democracy, he’s an authoritarian and a very, very dangerous, I think. Right now there has to be a unification of progressives in general across the country,” Sanders said.
