Biden Already Thinking About Running for a Second Term
Former Vice President Joe Biden said on Friday that he would not commit to serving only one term if he were to be elected president in 2020.
Appearing on ABC’s “The View” a day after officially entering the crowded Democratic primary field, the 76-year-old conceded the topic of his age is a legitimate matter for voters to consider, but he flatly rejected the idea he would limit himself to four years at the White House.
“It’s a legitimate question to ask about my age,” Biden said. “Hopefully, I can demonstrate not only with age has come wisdom and experience that can make things a lot better. That’s for you all to decide, not for me to decide.”
Joe Biden tells the co-hosts he won’t commit to serving just one term.
“It’s a legitimate question to ask about my age…Hopefully, I can demonstrate not only with age has come wisdom and experience that can make things a lot better.” https://t.co/rxCXj3uvWG pic.twitter.com/jxJKrtbx0e
— The View (@TheView) April 26, 2019
Biden would turn 78 within three weeks of being elected president, if he should prevail in November 2020.
Ronald Reagan, who was the oldest to have served as president, left off at the age of 77 after two terms in office.
President Donald Trump, now 72, topped Reagan by a few months to become the oldest to be elected commander in chief at 70.
If he should serve a second term, Trump would be 78 when he leaves 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
“I just feel like a young man,” the 45th president told reporters at the White House Friday, when asked about the age issue. “I am a young, vibrant man.”
“I look at Joe, I don’t know about him, I don’t know,” Trump added with a grin. “I would never say anyone’s too old.”
Referring to his Democratic challengers, the president said, “They’re all making me look very young.”
Q: “How old is too old to be president.”
President Trump: “Well I just feel like a young man. I’m so young. I can’t believe it. I’m the youngest person — I am a young vibrant man. I look at Joe, I don’t know about him.” pic.twitter.com/AYcZtA0b5J
— CSPAN (@cspan) April 26, 2019
Responding to Trump, Biden told “The View,” “If he looks young and vibrant compared to me, I should probably go home.
“The best way to judge me is to watch, see if I have the energy and the capacity — it’s a ‘show me’ business.”
At 77, Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont is older than both Trump and Biden.
The RealClearPolitics average of polls shows both Biden and Sanders well ahead of the others in the Democrat primary field, at approximately 29 and 23 percent, respectively. The next closest challenger is Sen. Kamala Harris of California, who is polling at a little more than 8 percent.
A poll released by The Hill on Friday found Biden topping Trump in a head-to-head match-up among registered voters, 43 to 37 percent. Five percent indicated they were undecided.
It is worth noting, all but one public poll included in the RealClearPolitics average in November 2016 showed Hillary Clinton ahead of Trump, ranging between 1 and 6 percentage points.
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