Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) dismissed President Biden’s age being an issue on the campaign trail on Wednesday, despite many Americans believing he’s too old to be commander-in-chief.
During an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” with hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, Pelosi, an 83-year-old congresswoman, defended the president and touted his tenure by saying the country has been “very well-served” by his time in office. She insisted that age should not be an issue with 80-year-old Biden, arguing that it’s “relative.”
“I think the president should embrace his age, his experience, the knowledge he brings to the job,” Pelosi said. “Actually, the leader on the other side is not much younger. I don’t like to use his name, but you know who I mean. He’s not that much younger,” she continued, referring to former President Donald Trump.
“So I don’t think – age is a relative thing. It is – and I think this president, our country is very well served by his leadership, again, his experience, his knowledge, and it counts for a lot,” Pelosi claimed.
Pelosi went on to say that Biden has “unfinished business” and that she was proud of the job he’s done so far as president, a view most Americans disagree with. According to FiveThirtyEight’s average of polls, Biden is currently sitting at 54.5% disapproval, while 41.2% of Americans approve of the job he’s done.
During the interview, Pelosi mentioned recently meeting with screenwriter Norman Lear, who is 100 years old, and 94-year-old architect Frank Gehry, as justification for Biden’s age being a non-issue in the campaign.
“[Lear] was telling me some new shows he was involved in, I had a meeting with Frank Gehry, a 90- something architect, showing me new buildings he’s building throughout the world and they were like ‘80, he’s a kid,” Pelosi said. “I was like yeah. It is relative. He’s younger than I am, so he’s a kid to me as well.”
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Nancy Pelosi on Biden's age: "He's younger than I am, so he's a kid to me" pic.twitter.com/dlgGuqVf1m
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 19, 2023
President Biden would be 86 years old at the end of a potential second term. He’s already the oldest president in the history of the United States. Prior to Biden, President Ronald Reagan was the oldest president, finishing his second term at 77 years old. According to Changing America, at swearing-in, the average age of American presidents is 55.
Trump, the current frontrunner for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination, is 77 years old and would be 83 at the end of a second term.
A Washington Post-ABC News poll in May found that a majority of voters, 68%, believe Biden is “too old” for another term, while 44% said the same for Trump.
Pelosi concluded the interview by saying making age an issue in the campaign is just an “excuse.”
“It’s not a reason, it’s an excuse and I think that we just have to get on with this election for the children, for the people,” she claimed.