Hillary Clinton has become the highest-profile Democrat so far to raise concerns over Joe Biden‘s age, saying it is a ‘legitimate’ concern for voters ahead of this year’s presidential election.
Mrs Clinton, a former secretary of state, presidential candidate and first lady, said that she had talked to people in the Biden White House and they admitted Mr Biden’s increasing age was an ‘issue’.
She made the comments in an interview recorded on Wednesday, the day before the publication of a report by special counsel Robert Hur, which concluded that the President had ‘wilfully’ mishandled classified documents after he left office as Vice President.
In a damning 388-page report, Mr Hur concluded that the President’s failing mental faculties would have made a conviction impossible and that he was an ‘elderly man with a poor memory’.
Hillary Clinton, a former secretary of state, presidential candidate and first lady, said that she had talked to people in the Biden White House and they admitted Mr Biden’s increasing age was an ‘issue’
She made the comments in an interview recorded on Wednesday, the day before the publication of a report by special counsel Robert Hur, which concluded that the President had ‘wilfully’ mishandled classified documents after he left office as Vice President
To add to Mr Biden’s woes, last week saw the publication of back-to-back New York Times opinion pieces raising fears over the prospect of a second Biden term. At 81, Mr Biden is the oldest President in history. If he wins a second term he will be 86 when he leaves office.
In an opinion piece on Friday, the editorial board of The New York Times wrote: ‘He [Mr Biden] needs to do more to show the public that he is fully capable of holding office until age 86.’
While Mr Biden has been under attack from Right-wing media outlets for years, the criticism from The New York Times is different, as it is considered the Bible of the US liberal elite and has an overwhelmingly Democratic readership. The paper’s editorial board comments are essentially the voice of the paper’s most senior journalists, meaning they carry significant weight.
Speaking to MSNBC, Mrs Clinton said: ‘I talked to people in the White House all the time, and you know, they know it’s an issue, but as I like to say, ‘Look, it’s a legitimate issue.’ It’s a legitimate issue for Trump, who’s only [a few] years younger, right? So it’s an issue.’
Despite any misgivings, Mrs Clinton, a Democrat whose husband Bill served two terms as President, said she still backed Mr Biden.
She added: ‘Once you say that, you need to also talk about what is at stake in this election.
‘And I’m for Joe Biden because of the merits.
‘I think he has done a really good job as President.’
The report by Robert Hur – a registered Republican who was nominated as US attorney for Maryland by Mr Trump – said that Mr Biden couldn’t remember when his son Beau died or the dates when he was Vice President.
Donald Trump, 77, the likely Republican Presidential candidate, is close behind Mr Biden in age but has appeared far more vigorous on the campaign trail.
To add to Mr Biden’s woes, last week saw the publication of back-to-back New York Times opinion pieces raising fears over the prospect of a second Biden term
Donald Trump, 77, the likely Republican Presidential candidate, is close behind Mr Biden in age but has appeared far more vigorous on the campaign trail
Mrs Clinton’s comments came as an ABC News poll found that 86 per cent of Americans think Mr Biden is too old to serve another term as President. That figure includes 59 per cent of people who think both he and Mr Trump are too old.
During a hastily-arranged White House press conference on Thursday evening, a furious Mr Biden responded to the special counsel’s report by insisting that his memory was fine.
Mr Biden said: ‘I know what the hell I’m doing’ but mixed up the names of the presidents of Egypt and Mexico, the kind of gaffe he has become known for.
A top Democrat called the situation a ‘nightmare’, while another senior member of the party said it was ‘beyond devastating’.
According to NBC News, one Biden ally called the report ‘the worst day of his presidency’. The ally said: ‘I think he needs to show us this is a demonstrably false characterisation of him and that he has what it takes to win and govern.’
In recent days, Mr Biden has been seen wearing brogues but with the apparent sole from a trainer-style shoe, possibly to aid his balance after a series of falls in public.
Even David Axelrod, a former top aide to Barack Obama, also said that Mr Biden’s age is an ‘issue’.
But Mrs Clinton’s intervention has made her the most senior figure so far to sound the alarm. However, last Friday and Saturday, The New York Times ran three brutal editorials calling into question the President’s fitness as a candidate.
On Saturday, political analyst Ross Douthat wrote a piece saying: ‘The question is not if Biden should step aside. It’s how.’
He wrote: ‘Joe Biden should not be running for re-election. That much was obvious well before the special prosecutor’s comments on the President’s memory lapses inspired a burst of age-related angst. And Democrats who are furious at the prosecutor have to sense that it will become only more obvious as we move deeper into an actual campaign.’
The same day, Maureen Dowd, a journalist and opinion writer who has worked for the Times for years, wrote a column titled: ‘Mr. President, ditch the stealth about health.’ She wrote: ‘Stealth about health is no longer possible, and the sooner President Biden’s team stops being in denial about that, the better off Democrats will be.’
Even David Axelrod (pictured), a former top aide to Barack Obama, also said that Mr Biden’s age is an ‘issue’
The blunt column said: ‘Biden is not just in a bubble — he’s in bubble wrap.
‘Cosseting and closeting Uncle Joe all the way to the end [is] just not going to work.’ On the subject of his press conference, she wrote: ‘Pushing back at the image of a crotchety grandpa, he came across like a crotchety grandpa.’
The previous day, The New York Times editorial board said that the press conference had ‘raised more questions about his cognitive sharpness and temperament’.
Calling it a ‘dark moment’ in the Biden presidency, the Times said that ‘he looks as if he is hiding, or worse, being hidden’.
The newspaper noted that as of late January, he had given fewer interviews than the last six presidents: only 86.
Mr Trump gave 300, and Mr Obama gave 422.
