(Corine Gatti, Headline USA) Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., spoke out on Sunday in support of President Joe Biden after a New York Times editorial raised questions about the president’s age, the Daily Wire reported.
Biden, who is expected to make an announcement Tuesday about his plan to run in 2024, already eclipsed his predecessor’s record by eight years when he was sworn in at the age of 78. He will turn 81 on Nov. 20.
Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd questioned Durbin if Biden should be doing more to guarantee voters that he can handle another term as the 2024 election approaches.
“Let’s concede the obvious, what his age is,” Durbin said. “But let’s look at the obvious. He’s an active president who is meeting the challenges of America every day.”
Durbin—who is exactly two years and one day younger than Biden—said the cognitively impaired chief executive struck him as being remarkably spry and quick-witted, as evidenced by his litany of presidential accomplishments.
“I spent hours with him in meetings and I’ve been truly impressed by his competence and knowledge,” Durbin said. “His performance tells me he’s up to the job and does it well.”
The Times piece, published on Saturday, explained there are concerns about Biden’s age—both in terms of fitness for office and being out of touch with the moment.
Biden frequently deflects questions about his capabilities by issuing a standard non-response: “The only thing I can say is, ‘Watch me,’” the editorial noted.
“But Mr. Biden has given voters very few chances to do just that—to watch him—and his refusal to engage with the public regularly raises questions about his age and health,” the editorial added.
“He has held fewer news conferences and media interviews than most of his modern predecessors,” it continued. “Since 1923, only Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan took fewer questions per month from reporters, and neither represents a model of presidential openness that Mr. Biden should want to emulate. His reticence has created an opening for critics and skeptics.”
Klobuchar responded to the editorial about the aging president’s ability to serve another term on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday.
“Biden has such a strong record to run on! He has gotten this country through the pandemic,” she said.
“He has the backs of the American people, and Americans know that,” she continued. “Whether it is passing landmark legislation to bring down pharmaceutical prices, whether it’s investment in infrastructure—it’s going to bring high-speed broadband to every part of the country, including rural areas in my state—or whether it’s bringing back manufacturing, he has the back of the American people.”
