As concerns about President Joe Biden’s age ripple through the Democratic Party after a disastrous debate performance, Donald Trump has avoided taking that line of attack on his election opponent, at least for now.
At a rally in Chesapeake, Virginia, on Friday, Trump talked up his “big victory” in the debate and attacked Biden’s competence. “Joe Biden’s problem is not his age, it’s not his anything, really,” he told the crowd. “He’s got no problem other than — it’s his competence. He’s grossly incompetent.”
Trump said he knew people much older than Biden who are doing “unbelievable things,” such as “making a fortune.” And he praised CNN’s moderators for treating him “very fairly” at the debate. CNN did not fact-check the candidates’ remarks in real time, allowing Trump to launch a stream of lies and wild exaggerations throughout his speaking time.
At 78, the presumptive GOP nominee is three years younger than Biden. He has largely tried to shift focus away from Biden’s age in the past, possibly fearful of alienating older supporters and of drawing attention to his own age. At a Georgia rally in March, Trump dismissed similar arguments against Biden — who, for what it’s worth, has been in politics since 1973 — saying, “It’s not an age thing, it’s a competence thing.” Which isn’t to say that Trump has totally avoided attacks on Biden’s age.
But Trump has also faced questions about his age and mental acuity, though not as persistently as Biden has. Whichever of the two is elected, he will be the oldest person ever to be inaugurated president. In North Carolina on Friday, Biden acknowledged the concerns about his age had been accentuated by his debate performance. In an energetic rally appearance that stood in stark contrast to his demeanor the night before, Biden told the crowd in North Carolina that he doesn’t walk, speak or debate as well as he used to. “But I know how to tell the truth,” he said. “I know right from wrong. And I know how to do this job.”
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.
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