First Lady Jill Biden insists age is not hurting her husband, President Joe Biden’s ability to do the job.
Instead, she argues he is effective because of how old he is.
During an event on Thursday, the first lady insisted the 2024 election is “most certainly not about age.”
“Joe and that other guy are essentially the same same, let’s not be fooled!” she continued. “Joe isn’t one of the most effective presidents of our lives in spite of his age, but because of it!”
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Former President Donald Trump is 78, while Biden 81 and will turn 82 later this year.
The Wall Street Journal published an article earlier this month with the headline, “Behind Closed Doors, Biden Shows Signs of Slipping.”
It was based on interviews with 45 people who interacted with the president suggesting he is showing “his age” in several meetings behind closed doors.
to his time as vice president, described a president who appears slower now, someone who has both good moments and bad ones,” the Journal reported. “For much of his career, Biden enjoyed a reputation on Capitol Hill for being a master negotiator of legislative deals, known for his detailed knowledge of issues and insights into the other side’s motivations and needs—and for hitting his stride when the pressure was on. Over the past year, though, with Republicans in control of the House, that reputation has diminished.”
A White House spokesperson told the paper, “Congressional Republicans, foreign leaders and nonpartisan national-security experts have made clear in their own words that President Biden is a savvy and effective leader who has a deep record of legislative accomplishment.”
“Now, in 2024, House Republicans are making false claims as a political tactic that flatly contradict previous statements made by themselves and their colleagues,” they added.
The article conceded most of those who said Biden is showing signs of slowing down were Republicans, but adds some Democrats also said the same.
In one incident involving a January meeting on Ukraine aide, the paper reported, “The president moved so slowly around the Cabinet Room to greet the nearly two dozen congressional leaders that it took about 10 minutes for the meeting to begin, some people who attended recalled.”
“Biden started the meeting reading from notes to make broad points about the need to give money to Ukraine, which struck several participants as odd given that the lawmakers present already generally agreed that more funds were needed. Some attendees had trouble hearing him,” it added.
Attendees of that meeting said the president frequently deferred to lawmakers or staffers, and did not answer questions, with one person saying, “You couldn’t be there and not feel uncomfortable.”
