Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) defended President Joe Biden against concerns over his age as he pursues a second term in office, in an interview with the BBC’s “HARDtalk” broadcast Monday.
Biden would be 86 by the end of his second term if he gets reelected — which has prompted concern from members of his own party as well as voters.
In a poll of registered voters conducted by The Wall Street Journal between Aug. 24 and 30, 60% of respondents said Biden isn’t mentally up to the job of president, and 73% said he is too old to run for reelection. Only 47% of respondents said Trump, who is just three years younger than Biden, is too old to launch a presidential bid.
Pelosi claims that even Democratic voters who have expressed worries about Biden’s age in the polls are still behind him.
“They’re not supporting somebody else because Joe Biden is old,” she told the BBC’s Stephen Sackur.
Pelosi went on to list some of Biden’s greatest strengths, noting that Democrats will have to work to communicate those qualities to the American people in a more effective way throughout the course of his presidential campaign.
“Joe Biden is wise,” she said. “He has knowledge. He has a beautiful vision for America. He has knowledge for the issues, therefore judgment and wisdom. He has strategic thinking about getting things done. That’s why his presidency has been so successful on the domestic front.”
Biden has appeared to embrace the concerns about his age, cracking a joke about it during an appearance in Pennsylvania on Monday.
“You know, the only thing that comes with age is a little bit of wisdom. I’ve been doing this longer than anybody, and guess what? I’m going to continue to do it, with your help,” Biden said.
Pelosi expressed confidence that voters will send Biden back to the White House in November 2024.
“You’ll see 15 months from now Joe Biden reelected as president of the United States with great pride,” she said.