Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said that President Joe Biden’s age is a legitimate concern held by voters considering their options in the upcoming 2024 election.
Speaking at the Financial Times Weekend Festival in Washington D.C., Clinton responded to a question from Edward Luce, an editor at Financial Times, about a recent incident where President Biden stumbled while walking down some stairs at the 2023 Hiroshima Summit in Japan.
“Every time that happens, your heart is in your mouth, because these things could be consequential. Is that a concern?” Luce asked.
“Well, I mean, it’s a concern for anyone. And we’ve had presidents who’ve fallen before who are a lot younger, and people didn’t go into heart palpitations. But his age is an issue. And people have every right to consider it,” Clinton responded.
Clinton might have been referring to former President Gerald Ford, whose tumble down some stairs while exiting Air Force One during a rainstorm in 1975 led to years of mockery on the part of the public and comedians, most notably Saturday Night Live’s Chevy Chase.
Clinton said she believed Biden is underappreciated as a politician and a policymaker, offering her full support for his re-election campaign in 2024.
“He doesn’t get the credit yet that he deserves for what is happening out in the country, in terms of jobs and growth and planning for the future, with chips and other stuff,” Clinton claimed. “So I obviously hope he stays very focused and able to compete in the election because I think he — I think he can be re-elected, and that’s what we should all hope for.”
Clinton’s comments about President Biden’s age came one month after he announced his plans to seek another four years in office. He is already the oldest president in American history. If re-elected, he would be 86 years old by the end of his second term.
