Three former Obama administration aides spoke at length about President Joe Biden’s age and whether Americans ultimately view him as too “frail” to serve another term in the White House.
The trio concluded Biden’s age is a valid issue just seven months before this fall’s election and expressed concerns former President Donald Trump could win a second term.
Jon Favreau, the chief speechwriter for former President Barack Obama; former Obama speechwriter Jon Lovett; and Tommy Vietor spoke about Biden’s age at great length during the Feb. 14 episode of their “Pod Save America” podcast.
When discussing special counsel Robert Hur’s decision not to charge Biden with a crime following the Justice Department investigation into his mishandling of classified documents, Favreau concluded many Americans view Biden as a “frail” old man.
Hur expressed concerns that a jury might have found Biden as a sympathetic figure because of his age and memory issues.
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“If you watch Joe Biden speak, oftentimes he sounds frail and he sounds more frail than he used to, even in 2019 and 2020,” said Favreau, a Democrat who is strongly opposed to Trump.
He said he didn’t think Biden is cognitively compromised but many people view the 81-year-old that way.
“The voice sounds frail, and he shuffles more because of the arthritis in his back. … He is mumbly, and I think that has an effect on people,” Favreau said.
He cited polling that shows a strong majority of Americans are concerned about Biden’s age.
Is Biden too frail to be president?
Favreau said that if the media stopped talking about the president’s age tomorrow, “concerns would still be there.”
He concluded that is because people tend to believe their own eyes — which means for Democrats, Biden’s cognitive health is “a very real issue.”
Favreau further reasoned that efforts to portray Biden as too old are not helped by the president’s constant verbal miscues and that because of that, polls show most people “worry Joe Biden is ineffective as president.”
Meanwhile, Lovett said a “more energetic” Trump is painting Biden as weak — and it is working.
“When world events seem like they are overtaking him and he’s not out there enough forcefully, that’s what’s getting people concerned,” Favreau said.
They concluded Biden should make more public appearances to make people feel more confident in his ability to lead.
“I’m sure that going out there means more missteps like confusing Mexico and Egypt … more gaffes that start circulating, but if you don’t view Biden being out there more as a net positive, then the argument he shouldn’t be running is right,” Lovett said.
Favreau reminded listeners that Biden skipped out on an annual tradition this month in speaking to a reporter the morning of the Super Bowl.
Vietor said the president not only should have spoken with the media but also should have been seen that day drinking a beer with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
