By Raul Castillo
07 Nov 2023, 21:39 PM EST
“Actions speak louder than words.” In this way, Vice President Kamala Harris called on voters in the United States to measure President Joe Biden by his actions and not by his age in the upcoming 2024 elections.
“So I just tell people: listen, let’s not get distracted. Let’s see if we have a president who has truly followed through and delivered on his commitments and especially long-standing issues that needed to be addressed,” Vice President Harris told SiriusXM’s Joe Madison, as reported by The Messenger.
“Joe Biden has done that. That is the measurement of the man, not what is on his birth certificate in terms of his age,” Harris continued Tuesday.
calm the waters
The vice president’s statements have to do with growing criticism about the age of President Biden, 80, to face four years in the White House.
In fact, an exclusive Messenger/Harris poll demonstrated concern among American citizens regarding the age of public officials. The poll, conducted in September, revealed that 70% of voters believed that Biden is too old to serve another term.
In contrast, only 47% believe that former President Donald Trump, Biden’s likely rival in 2024, is too old to seek the presidency again. The Republican candidate is only three years younger than Biden, at 77 years old.
The poll surveyed 918 registered voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2%.
Aware of the criticism, even Biden has referred to the issue. The president has tried to avoid these criticisms by referring to the wisdom that, according to him, the years give.
“I tell you what,” someone said, “Biden is getting old. I tell you one thing. Guess what? Guess what? The only thing that comes with age is a little wisdom,” Biden said. “I’ve been doing this longer than anyone. And guess what? I will continue to do so with your help.”
Trump takes advantage
Vice President Harris’ statements demonstrate Democrats’ real concern about the issue of Biden’s age. The Trump campaign, her most likely rival, has taken advantage of the issue to criticize the current president.
However, knowing that he is just three years older, Trump has instead referred to Biden’s performance as president. Last September, the former Republican president said that the Democrat “is not too old” to seek a second term. But he immediately added: “I think he is incompetent.”
“Some of the greatest world leaders are over 80 years old,” the Republican told NBC News. “By the way, I am still far from that age,” he added.
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