President Joe Biden is “extraordinarily smart,” according to Vice President Kamala Harris — even though many people question whether he’s mentally capable of serving another four years in the White House.
Biden is already the oldest U.S. president in history, and he would be 86 years old at the end of a hypothetical second term in the White House. That has caused many people to question whether he’s even fit for the job.
A recent poll conducted by ABC News/Ipsos, for instance, revealed that just 28% of participants said Biden has sufficient mental sharpness to get through four more years in the White House. That number back in May of 2020 was 50% — showing just how much faith in him has declined in a short period of time.
Sitting down for an ABC News interview this week, Harris was pressed by Mary Bruce — the chief White House correspondent for the network — about how the Biden-Harris campaign was trying to change that perception.
The vice president responded:
“I’ll tell you, the reality of it is, and I’ve spent a lot of time with Biden, be it in the Oval Office, in the Situation Room and other places — he is extraordinarily smart. He has the ability to see around the corner in terms of what might be the challenges we face as a nation or globally.”
She added that the people who came to see her and Biden in South Carolina — where the interview took place — did so because “they believe in what we’re doing and they want to see us continue to do this work.”
Biden’s wife, First Lady Jill Biden, also came to her husband’s defense this week. She shot down any notions that the president’s age or health was a concern moving forward, saying that his age is actually an “asset.”
In an interview with MSNBC, Mike Brzezinski asked the First Lady about her husband’s health and age with “everything on the line.”
Brzesinski asked:
“This is a massive amount of physical and emotional stress. It would be on any person. Your husband is 81. At the end of a second term, he’d be 86. As his life partner of 46 years, is there a part of you that is worried about his age and health? Can he do it?”
The First Lady responded:
“He can do it. I see Joe every day. I see him out, you know, traveling this country. I see his vigor. I see his energy. I see his passion every single day. …
“He’s wise. He has wisdom. He has experience. He knows every leader on the world stage. He’s lived history. He knows history. He’s thoughtful in his decisions. He is the right man, the right person for the job at this moment in history.”
Despite the backing from his wife and vice president, Biden is going to continually face questions about his physical and mental fitness for another four years in the White House, especially as the election draws nearer.