Vice President Kamala Harris has brushed off concerns about President Biden’s age and said he is fit for a second term in the White House. She said she knows the President better than his critics and sees him at work every day. Harris described how Biden can “weave through complex issues in a way that no one else can” and “make smart and important decisions on behalf of the American people.”
When asked if she is prepared to enter the Oval Office as Commander-in-Chief, she said all Vice President’s have to be prepared for that, but insisted it won’t come to pass. “Joe Biden is going to be fine, so that is not going to come to fruition,” she said.
Concerns about President Biden’s age have plagued him since he announced his intention to run for the White House in 2024. He said he thinks the concerns are fair but asked people to judge him on his performance. A recent poll by AP/NORC found that 77% of voters are worried about Biden’s age. The figure was 69% among Democrats and 89% for Republicans. When questioned about Donald Trump’s age, 51% said it was a concern. This included 71% of Democrats and 28% of Republicans. Mr. Trump is 77.
Survey responders were also asked what words came to mind when they thought of either candidate. On Joe Biden, “old” was the answer from 26%, while slow/confused/bumbling was the choice of 15%. On Trump, most people said they associate the former President with “corrupt, criminal, and crooked.”
Trump and Biden are far in the lead in their party’s primary polls, and a rematch in 2024 looks inevitable. In a survey from September 4, Biden has the support of 71% of Democrats, with Robert F. Kennedy trailing far behind at just 9% and Marianne Williamson at 3%.
On the Republican side, Trump’s support continues to grow. A Morning Consult survey on September 10 placed him at 57%, with second-place Ron DeSantis at 14%.
