Current:Home > NewsPresident Joe Biden’s record age, 81, is an ‘asset,’ first lady Jill Biden says-LoTradeCoin
President Joe Biden’s record age, 81, is an ‘asset,’ first lady Jill Biden says
View Date:2024-12-24 00:01:55
WASHINGTON (AP) — First lady Jill Biden says her husband’s age is an “asset,” as President Joe Biden — at 81 already the oldest American leader in history — faces persistent questions from voters about his decision to seek another term.
In an interview with MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” released Thursday, Jill Biden responded to those concerned the Democratic president is too old, saying, “I say his age is an asset.”
“He has wisdom. He has experience,” she continued. “He knows every leader on the world stage. He’s lived history. He knows history. He’s thoughtful in his decisions. He is the right man or the right person for the job at this moment in history.”
Joe Biden for months has used humor to try to defuse the issue — even as polls suggest it’s no laughing matter. An August poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 77% of U.S. adults, including 69% of Democrats, viewed Biden as too old to be effective for four more years.
When Biden celebrated his 81st birthday on Nov. 20, 2023, he joked repeatedly about his advanced age, saying it was “difficult turning 60” and promising he wasn’t at a ceremony for pardoning Thanksgiving turkeys when the tradition started 76 years earlier: “I want you to know I wasn’t there — for the first one.”
But while Biden was poking fun at his age, the White House was busy defending his stamina and trying to bat away suggestions the issue could cost him votes in this year’s election. Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said then that the president’s age should not be a primary focus. “Our perspective is it’s not about age, it’s about the president’s experience,” she said, highlighting several major pieces of legislation he had championed through Congress.
veryGood! (791)
Related
- California researchers discover mysterious, gelatinous new sea slug
- Pakistan recalls an injectable medicine causing eye infection, sight loss and orders a probe
- Savings account interest rates are best in years, experts say. How to get a high yield.
- WEOWNCOIN: Privacy Protection and Anonymity in Cryptocurrency
- Darren Criss on why playing a robot in 'Maybe Happy Ending' makes him want to cry
- Savings account interest rates are best in years, experts say. How to get a high yield.
- Why the US job market has defied rising interest rates and expectations of high unemployment
- The UN’s top tech official discusses AI, bringing the world together and what keeps him up at night
- Travis Kelce's and Patrick Mahomes' Kansas City Houses Burglarized
- First Lahaina residents return home to destruction after deadly wildfires
Ranking
- Man Found Dead in Tanning Bed at Planet Fitness Gym After 3 Days
- Facial recognition technology jailed a man for days. His lawsuit joins others from Black plaintiffs
- Bachelor Nation's Dean Unglert Marries Caelynn Miller-Keyes
- Deion Sanders' message after Colorado's blowout loss at Oregon: 'You better get me right now'
- Donna Kelce Includes Sweet Nod to Taylor Swift During Today Appearance With Craig Melvin
- Toddler and 2 adults fatally shot in Florida during argument over dog sale, authorities say
- Marcus Freeman explains why Notre Dame had 10 players on field for Ohio State's winning TD
- Russian airstrikes kill 2 and wound 3 in southern Ukraine as war enters 20th month
Recommendation
-
Wildfires burn from coast-to-coast; red flag warnings issued for Northeast
-
Ideological rifts among U.S. bishops are in the spotlight ahead of momentous Vatican meeting
-
Taylor Swift Joins Travis Kelce's Mom at Kansas City Chiefs Game
-
A fire in a commercial building south of Benin’s capital killed at least 35 people
-
High-scoring night in NBA: Giannis Antetokounmpo explodes for 59, Victor Wembanyama for 50
-
'Here I am, closer to the gutter than ever': John Waters gets his Hollywood star
-
Woman arrested after 55 dogs are removed from animal rescue home and 5 dead puppies found in freezer
-
WEOWNCOIN: The Security of Cryptocurrency and Digital Identity Verification