Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Dean Phillips (Minn.) said President Biden has seen a physical and communication decline, as fears of the president’s age swarm his reelection efforts.
“Look, I’m an American, I want to respect my presidents. I do respect President Biden,” Phillips told Fox News’ Sean Hannity.
“I’m not seeing cognitive decline. Of course, we’re seeing physical and communication decline. I think that’s self-evident by any video, but I don’t think that is fair,” Phillips continued. “But he’s an 81-year-old man. He’s a human being. Donald Trump’s 77.”
Biden is currently 81 and would be 86 years old by the end of a second term. His age is frequently discussed amid the 2024 presidential campaign, as people claim it is time for a younger leader and have concerns over his well-being.
Former President Trump has hit Biden over his age, recently trolling Biden in an ad that refers to the White House as a senior living facility. Trump is not much younger than Biden and will turn 78 in June.
In the interview Thursday, the Minnesota Democrat reiterated a point he’s made throughout his campaign. Much of the country is looking for change and doesn’t want either Biden or Trump as president again, Phillips said.
“Look, I’m running for change. I think we can do this so much better. I love my Republican colleagues. I love my Democratic colleagues,” he said.
Phillips continued, saying “we’re handing the keys to this country” to both the far-right and the far-left, and called himself part of the “exhausted majority in the middle.”
Phillips came in second behind Biden in New Hampshire on Tuesday, a state where Biden wasn’t on the ballot. According to The Hill/Decision Desk HQ, he earned 19.6 percent in the Democratic Primary.
He recently backtracked from his original plan of suspending his campaign by March 5 if he did not gain traction and as of Tuesday morning said he plans to stay in the race “as long as it takes” to have a match-up against Trump.
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