As concerns about President Joe Biden’s age ripple through the Democratic Party after a disastrous debate performance, Donald Trump has avoided taking that line of attack on his election opponent, at least for now.
At a rally in Chesapeake, Virginia, on Friday, Trump called the debate a “great win” and attacked Biden’s competence. “Joe Biden’s problem is not his age, it’s not his thing, it’s not his thing,” he told the crowd. “He doesn’t have a problem except — it’s his competence. He’s flat-out incompetent.”
Trump said he knew people much older than Biden who were doing “unbelievable things,” like “making a fortune.” And he praised CNN moderators for treating him “very fairly” during the debate. CNN did not monitor the candidates’ remarks in real time, allowing Trump to unleash a stream of lies and wild exaggerations during his speaking time.
At 78, the presumptive GOP nominee is three years younger than Biden. He has tried in the past to shift the focus away from Biden’s age, perhaps out of fear of alienating older supporters and drawing attention to his own. At a rally in Georgia in March, Trump dismissed similar arguments against Biden — who, for anything, has been in politics since 1973 — by saying, “It’s not a question of age, it’s a question of competence.” That’s not to say Trump has completely avoided attacks on Biden’s age.
But Trump has also faced questions about his age and mental acuity, though not as persistently as Biden. Whoever is elected, he will be the oldest person ever inaugurated as president.
In North Carolina, Biden acknowledged Friday that concerns about his age had been accentuated by his debate performance. In an energetic rally performance that was in stark contrast to his behavior the night before, Biden told the crowd in North Carolina that he no longer walks, speaks or debates as well as he used to.
“But I know how to tell the truth,” he said. “I know what’s right and wrong. And I know how to do this job.”
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
