OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
President Joe Biden is facing a growing chorus of people in his own party who simply want him to step aside and allow a younger candidate to compete for the presidency.
Some Democrats are practically begging for an alternative to the octogenarian who, if he was re-elected, would be 86 years old at the end of his second stint in the White House, The Epoch Times reported.
“I think Biden is too old. We need someone younger in office. I’m glad he beat Trump, but he even said he was a ‘transition candidate’ at the beginning,” Janet Rodriguez of Seattle, Wash., a Democrat voter, told The Epoch Times. “I took that to mean he was not going to run again. I wish we had someone different like [California Gov. Gavin] Newsom.”
Another Democrat voter, Robert Wildermuth of San Diego, Calif., said he believed he was duped by Biden when he voted for him.
“In 2020, we were also voting for Vice President Kamala Harris since there’s a pretty high chance she’ll have to succeed him. I don’t think that’s a bad thing, but it’s the reality [due to Biden’s age],” he said to The Times. “But then she disappeared as soon as they won, like any VP, but [the White House] also probably didn’t want people thinking about that too much.”
Jon Caldara, who is the president of the think tank Independence Institute said that there is reason to be concerned about the president’s age.
“We all should be concerned about Biden’s age. This is a man who is the leader of the free world who carries the nuclear football, and he is obviously dealing—not just with physical issues—but with deteriorating mental acuity and possible dementia,” he told the outlet. “We all should be scared about this and let’s say what everyone is thinking, the person in the number two spot is just as scary. No one wants to see [Ms. Harris] as president she is as unpopular as Hillary [Clinton].”
And he said that former President Donald Trump could defeat him.
“The Democrats have a ridiculous problem on their hands, and it’s really delicious to see,” he said.
“The whole strategy that the Democrats have of making sure that Trump is the nominee … could really backfire on them,” he said.
Harris joined The Associated Press for an interview at the ASEAN Summit in Indonesia that has generated significant backlash for the career politician. Speaking to an AP reporter, Harris attested that she feels prepared to “step into that role” as President should the 80-year-old President Joe Biden become incapacitated or otherwise unable to complete his term in office.
Given increasing concerns over the health and mental fitness of Biden, the AP asked Harris if she feels prepared to “step into the role” as president and she answered with an immediate, almost enthusiastic “yes.”
“Well, first of all, I’m answering your hypothetical,” Harris said according to The Post Millennial. “But Joe Biden’s gonna be fine, right? So that is not gonna come to fruition.”
“But let us also understand that every vice president, every vice president, understands that when they take the oath, that they must be very clear about the responsibility they may have to take over the job of being president. I am no different.”
While Harris claims that she is “no different,” the American public seems to feel differently with Harris’ approval rating sitting at 39% according to FiveThirtyEight, with her disapproval at 51%. The Vice-President has been upsidedown in the polls, with her disapproval greater than her approval ratings, since October 2021, barely nine months into Biden’s presidency.
“I see him every day. A substantial amount of time we spend together is in the Oval Office, where I see how his ability to understand issues and weave through complex issues in a way that no one else can to make smart and important decisions on behalf of the American people have played out,” she claimed.
“And so I will say to you that I think the American people ultimately want to know that their president delivers. And Joe Biden delivers,” Harris added, repeating the well-trod-upon campaign phrase.
