President Biden, who turns 80 next month, said it’s his “intention” to run for a second term but acknowledged Americans’ concerns about his age are “totally legitimate.”
The comment came when he was asked during an interview with MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart why voters should stick with him.
“Well I think it’s a legitimate thing to be concerned about anyone’s age, including mine, I think that’s totally legitimate, but I think the best way to make the judgement is to watch me. Am I slowing up? Am I, don’t have the same pace? Or you know and that old joke, everyone talks about the new 70s, 50s, all that stuff. You know, I’m a great respecter of fate. I could get a disease tomorrow. I could you know, drop dead tomorrow, but, I, you know, in terms of my energy level, in terms of how much I’m able to do, I think people should look and say is he still have the same passion for what he’s doing, and if they think I do and I can do it then that’s fine, if they don’t they should vote against me—not against me—they should encourage me not to go, but that’s not how I feel.”
"I think it's a legitimate thing to be concerned about anyone's age, including mine," says Biden.
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 23, 2022
"Watch me. You know, am I slowing up? Am I don't have the same pace?...I could get a disease tomorrow, I could, you know, drop dead tomorrow." pic.twitter.com/o7jDVE5WVV
Over the weekend critics drew attention to Biden's interview with Capehart where at one point, after a long pause from Biden, the host had to ask him again whether the first lady is in favor of him running again.
Biden: "It's my intention to run again."
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) October 22, 2022
Host: "Dr. Biden is for it?"
Biden: …
Host: "Mr. President?"
Biden: "Dr. Biden thinks that uh, my wife thinks that uh, that I uh, that, that we're, that we're doing something very important." pic.twitter.com/0xsKGQOw1R
A CNN poll from July found 75 percent of Democrats want someone other than President Biden to be the Democratic presidential nominee in the 2024 election.
If he does run and win reelection, Biden would be 82 on Inauguration Day in January 2025.