Liberal Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, 82, on Sunday downplayed public anger over President Biden’s age, at 81, and implored him to overcome it by focusing on issues closer to home.
“President Biden can clearly defeat President Donald Trump, who is the most dangerous president in the history of this country,” Sanders, an independent, said of the embattled, aging commander in chief on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
“Biden is older and not as eloquent as he used to be,” Sanders acknowledged of the Democratic president. “I wish I could jump up the steps of Air Force One, but I can’t. We have to focus on policy.”
At least five House Democrats have already publicly called on Biden to be his successor, and a growing number of them privately favor him as the nominee, as concerns about Biden’s mental competency reach a fever pitch within the party.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) is trying to rally his colleagues to urge Biden to step aside and support a more mentally capable presidential candidate. The Washington Post reported.His spokesman did not deny the reports.
Asked about Warner’s efforts, Sanders said, “Mark is one of the more conservative members of the Democratic caucus.”
“No, I have not been invited and I have no intention of attending,” he added of reports that the meeting was about ousting Biden, who is the leading Democratic candidate in November.
Sanders acknowledged that his prime-time television showdown with Republican presidential rival Donald Trump last month was a disastrous one.
“Biden’s debate performance was terrible,” the senator said. “I know that’s a legitimate concern.”
But he said Biden should generally be praised for standing with the working class.
Sanders faced off against Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 and was on track to win the nomination until Biden’s victory in South Carolina.
Despite their history and infighting among progressives, particularly over Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war, Sanders has endorsed Biden and worked for him on the campaign trail.
Sanders, who is seeking a fourth term in the Senate, is also grappling with questions about his age.
But unlike Biden, he is rarely caught on camera stumbling over his words, freezing up or appearing to lose his train of thought.
Biden is already the oldest president in U.S. history and would be 86 by the end of his hypothetical second term.
Sanders rattled off several issues he would like Biden to focus on, including strengthening Social Security and expanding the child tax credit.
The Vermont Independent contrasted Biden with Trump, highlighting how Biden has rebuilt the nation’s infrastructure, become the first president to walk a picket line and signed legislation to combat climate change.
“He has to say, ‘I’m ready to stand up against corporate greed, against gross income and wealth inequality, and with the working class of this country.’ If he does that, he’ll win, and he’ll win big,” Sanders said.
Biden accepted responsibility for his performance in the debate, claiming he was “exhausted” but still capable of running the country.
Despite public calls for him to step aside and let someone else become the Democratic Party’s standard-bearer, Biden remains adamant that he has no plans to step down.
