Nancy Pelosi's Attempt to Defend Biden Against Age Criticism Seems Likely to Backfire
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi defended President Joe Biden’s age in an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Wednesday.
“I think the president should embrace his age, his experience, the knowledge that he brings to the job,” Pelosi said in response to “Morning Joe” host Mika Brzezinski’s question about the criticisms that Biden was “too old” for a second term.
“I think the president should embrace his age, experience, the knowledge he brings to the job…Age is a relative thing.” —@speakerpelosi pushes back against criticisms of Biden’s age. pic.twitter.com/1UgbcJWtdN
— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) July 19, 2023
“Actually, the … leader on the other side is not much younger,” Pelosi continued, gesticulating and making nervous faces as if speaking his name might cause the former president to appear, like the proverbial devil, and take over the presidency.
“Age is a relative thing, and I think this country is very well served by his leadership,” Pelosi said, later adding that because Biden is younger than her, “He’s a kid to me.”
Pelosi may actually have hit the nail on the head, but not in the way she intended.
Age definitely is a relative thing, and that fact cannot be better demonstrated than in the difference between Trump and Biden.
According to a New York Times article written last July, Biden is “generally a five- or five-and-a-half-day-a-week president, although he is called at any hour regardless of the day as needed. He stays out of public view at night and has taken part in fewer than half as many news conferences or interviews as recent predecessors.”
Axios reported recently that “some White House officials say it’s difficult to schedule public or private events with the president in the morning, in the evening, or on weekends: The vast majority of Biden’s public events happen on weekdays, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.”
And Biden’s former press secretary Jen Psaki said on MSNBC that “President Biden does nothing at 9 a.m.”
“President Biden Does Nothing At 9 AM…” – Jen Psaki pic.twitter.com/mX78QiyDiO
— Red Voice Media (@redvoicenews) March 13, 2023
Contrast comments made by this White House staff to the remarks by former President Trump’s staff when he was in office.
In 2020, then acting Chief of Staff and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Mick Mulvaney told a story of Trump’s almost “superhuman work” ethic.
According to Mulvaney, in one instance Trump stayed awake during a flight home from India and worked through the entire next day. When Mulvaney told Trump that he should rest, Mulvaney said Trump replied, “I only have eight years; I want to get as much out of it as I possibly can.”
Yes, that story is three years old, but Trump’e energy has shown no sign of abating. His recent speech at CPAC was more than two hours long without any signs of tiredness or slowing down.
Pelosi, who is 83, has lately had her share of senior moments, so it’s understandable that she would stand up for the “younger president.”
Pelosi is Drunk?!?!? https://t.co/MLrhdiEtio via @YouTube This is what old people refer too as “a senior moment”!
— Franklin Patterson (@KnarfNosrettap1) July 16, 2023
Nancy Pelosi gets confused during her first speech to Congress after becoming House Speaker: “I think I skipped a couple pages. I’m not sure.” pic.twitter.com/VNUE0wt4vc
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) January 3, 2019
THREAD.
It’s Nancy Pelosi herself who needs the 25th Amendment.
Confused Nancy Pelosi in 2017: A person can’t yell “wolf” in a crowded theater. pic.twitter.com/Mn0n2YTbWe
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) October 9, 2020
But she’s right. Age is relative.
And relative to Trump, Biden looks and acts like he’s a hundred.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
