Hillary Clinton has so far become the highest-profile Democrat to express concern about Joe Biden’s age, saying it is a “legitimate” concern for voters ahead of this year’s presidential election.
Clinton, a former secretary of state, presidential candidate and first lady, said she had spoken to people in the Biden White House and they admitted that Biden’s increasing age was a “problem.”
He made the comments in an interview recorded Wednesday, the day before the release of a report by special counsel Robert Hur, which concluded that the president had “intentionally” mishandled classified documents after leaving his post as vice president.
In a damning 388-page report, Hur concluded that the president’s poor mental faculties would have made a conviction impossible and that he was an “old man with a bad memory.”
Hillary Clinton, former secretary of state, presidential candidate and first lady, said she had spoken to people in the Biden White House and they admitted that Biden’s increasing age was a “problem.”
He made the comments in an interview recorded Wednesday, the day before the release of a report by special counsel Robert Hur, which concluded that the president had “intentionally” manipulated classified documents after leaving his post as vice president.
Compounding Biden’s woes, back-to-back New York Times op-eds were published last week raising fears about the prospect of a second Biden term. At 81, Biden is the oldest president in history. If he wins a second term, he will be 86 years old when he leaves office.
In an op-ed on Friday, The New York Times editorial board wrote, “He (Mr. Biden) needs to do more to show the public that he is fully capable of serving until age 86.”
While Biden has been attacked by right-wing media for years, the New York Times’ criticism is different, as it is considered the Bible of America’s liberal elite and has an overwhelmingly Democratic audience. Comments from the newspaper’s editorial board are essentially the voice of the newspaper’s most senior journalists, which means they carry significant weight.
Speaking to MSNBC, Mrs Clinton said: “I talk to people in the White House all the time and they know it’s a problem, but as I like to say, ‘Look, it’s a legitimate problem.’ It’s a legitimate question for Trump, who is only (a few) years younger, right? So it is a problem.”
Despite any misgivings, Clinton, a Democrat whose husband Bill served two terms as president, said she still supported Biden.
He added: ‘Once you say that, you will also have to talk about what is at stake in this election.
‘And I’m for Joe Biden on the merits.
“I think he’s done a very good job as president.”
The report by Robert Hur, a registered Republican who was appointed federal prosecutor for Maryland by Trump, said Biden could not remember when his son Beau died or the dates he was vice president.
Donald Trump, 77, the likely Republican presidential candidate, is very close to Biden in age but has seemed much more vigorous on the campaign trail.
Compounding Biden’s problems, back-to-back New York Times op-eds were published last week raising fears about the prospect of a second Biden term.
Donald Trump, 77, the likely Republican presidential candidate, is very close to Biden in age but has seemed much more vigorous on the campaign trail.
Clinton’s comments came as an ABC News poll found that 86 percent of Americans think Biden is too old to serve another term as president. That figure includes 59 percent of people who think he and Trump are too old.
During a hastily arranged press conference at the White House on Thursday night, a furious Biden responded to the special counsel’s report by insisting that his memory was fine.
Biden said, “I know what the hell I’m doing,” but he mixed up the names of the presidents of Egypt and Mexico, the kind of gaffe he has become known for.
One senior Democrat called the situation a “nightmare,” while another senior party member said it was “beyond devastating.”
According to NBC News, a Biden ally called the report “the worst day of his presidency.” The ally said: “I think he needs to show us that this is a demonstrably false characterization of him and that he has what it takes to win and govern.”
In recent days, Biden has been seen wearing brogues but with the apparent sole of a sneaker-style shoe, possibly to improve his balance after a series of falls in public.
Even David Axelrod, former senior adviser to Barack Obama, also said that Biden’s age is a “problem.”
But Clinton’s intervention has made her the highest-ranking figure yet to sound the alarm. However, last Friday and Saturday, The New York Times published three brutal editorials questioning the president’s suitability as a candidate.
On Saturday, political analyst Ross Douthat wrote an article saying: “The question is not whether Biden should step aside. Sample.’
He wrote: ‘Joe Biden should not run for re-election. That was obvious long before the special counsel’s comments about the president’s memory lapses inspired an outpouring of age-related angst. And the Democrats who are furious with the prosecutor have to feel that this will become more obvious as we move forward in a real campaign.”
On the same day, Maureen Dowd, a journalist and opinion writer who has worked for the Times for years, wrote a column titled: ‘Mr. President, abandon the secrecy on health. She wrote: “Healthcare stealth is no longer possible, and the sooner President Biden’s team stops denying it, the better off Democrats will be.”
Even David Axelrod (pictured), Barack Obama’s former senior adviser, also said Biden’s age is a “problem.”
The blunt column read: ‘Biden is not just in a bubble: he is wrapped in bubble wrap.
“Coddling and locking up Uncle Joe until the end is just not going to work.” On the subject of her press conference, she wrote: “Rejecting the image of a grumpy grandfather, he looked like a grumpy grandfather.”
The day before, the New York Times editorial board said the press conference had “raised more questions about his cognitive acuity and temperament.”
The Times called it a “dark moment” in Biden’s presidency and said it “looks like he’s hiding, or worse, like he’s hiding.”
The newspaper noted that as of late January he had given fewer interviews than the last six presidents: just 86.
Trump gave 300 and Obama gave 422.