President Joe Biden claimed he could do the job of president “better than anybody” when asked if he would be able to carry out the responsibilities of being president in his mid-80s.
During an interview with TIME magazine, Biden was informed that “large majorities of Americans,” including Democrats, are concerned about his age and ability to serve another term as president.
Biden, at 81, is currently the oldest president and would be 86 by the time he was out of office.
“The last two years of Presidents, two-term President’s tenure are usually focused on foreign affairs. You are 81 years old, and would be 86 by the time you left office,” the magazine asked Biden. “Large majorities of Americans, including in the Democratic Party, tell pollsters they think you are too old to lead. Could you really do this job as an 85-year-old man?”
“I can do it better than anybody you know,” Biden claimed. “You’re looking at me, I can take you too.”
When asked if he had considered not running due to his age, Biden said he had not.
Upon being asked what he would say to Americans who are “worried” about his age, Biden stated, “Watch me.”
“Look, name me a president that’s gotten as much done as I’ve gotten done in my first three and a half years,” Biden added.
A Harvard-Harris poll from April found that a plurality, 47 percent of people, believe Biden is “getting worse” as president, while 29 percent feel he is improving. Twenty-four percent of people polled believe that Biden is “staying the same.”
Another poll, conducted by the Economist/YouGov in February, found that 54 percent of people believe Biden’s age and health would “severely limit his ability” to serve as president, while 12 percent said there would be “no effect,” and 27 percent said there would be a “little effect.”
In February, Biden snapped at a reporter who mentioned concerns that Americans have about his age. Biden stated that he was “the most qualified person in this country to be president of the United States and finish the job” that he had started.