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Democratic Rep. Who's Called on Feinstein to Resign Responds to Concerns About Biden's Age

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  April 28, 2023 4:30 PM

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) is willing to do what many Democrats are not, which is to go on Fox News so as to reach people of all political values. But he's not likely to convince many conservative viewers with his latest appearance in which he dismisses con cerns that many have with President Joe Biden's age. According to polling, an alarming amount of Democrats don't think Biden should run, and many cite his age as a factor. 

While speaking with Bill Hemmer on "America's Newsroom," Khanna was asked about how Biden had to be reminded by a young child that he had been in Ireland a few days ago, specifically "how do you interpret the response?"

Khanna initially deflected, jovially offering that "I think the president should want everyone to see how he was treated in Ireland, he was a rock star there," and expressed a hope that people would "Google it."

When answering the actual question at hand, Khanna acknowledged "obviously age is going to be a factor in the election," something the congressman claimed the president has been "open about." Khanna even offered that Biden "is going to take questions, show that to the American people," though a fact-check from Mia earlier this month and even reporting from The New York Times highlights that Biden isn't exactly accessible when it comes to press briefings. 

"I think the Republicans will make a huge mistake if they make this about Joe Biden," Khanna stressed. "Elections are not about the candidates, they're about the American people," he continued, as he offered some ideas of what the president could speak about.

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Hemmer interjected, though, to speak to a very real concern, which is that Biden was given cheat sheets on reporters to call during a press conference from earlier this week. 

Referring to recent Fox News poll findings as "stunning," Hemmer shared that 76 percent of registered voters believe it is important for Biden "to hold regular press conferences."

When answering that Biden should have debates against his Democratic primary opponents, Khanna put himself at odds with White House aides, who certainly do have concerns, as has been increasingly reported on. 

"I think he's actually really good. I think his staff overprotects him. I think, put him out there in a press conference. Who cares if someone makes a gaffe? Every person makes a gaffe in conversations. Let's see the authentic President Biden. He's an empathetic person. And I think the more he's out there, the better. And do the press conferences, do the debates," Khanna offered. 

Earlier in the segment, Khanna had also been forced to admit "there's no denying that it's been a hard couple of years for the American people" when confronted on Gallup's poll numbers showing Biden is at a 37 percent approval rating. 

While Khanna does not appear to be at all fazed by concerns with Biden he has spent a considerable amount of energy calling on Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) to resign. He's told "Fox News Sunday" that he supports Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) appointing a "caretaker" if Feinstein does resign. 

The 89-year-old senator has been absent for months due to a bad case of shingles. She has been blamed for the Democrat's failures to advance judicial nominees out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, though Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) have set the record straight on how this concern applies to Biden's particularly extreme nominees.

Khanna's also taken to blaming her for the Senate overturning a Biden rule. Even with Feinstein absent, Democrats still have a majority with Vice President Kamala's tie-breaking vote. More importantly, the rule was overturned because Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) voted with the Republicans.

It's worth noting that Khanna supports Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) who is running to succeed the retiring Feinstein. Lee fulfills Newsom's requirements of appointing Feinstein with a black woman, should she indeed resign. 

Upon calling on Feinstein to resign over Twitter earlier this month, Khanna received an onslaught of replies urging him to do the same for Biden.