Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg shrugged off unease about President Biden’s age and pointed to Tuesday’s State of the Union address as proof the 81-year-old commander-in-chief is still sharp.
“What matters most is the age of a leader’s ideas,” Buttigieg argued on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday.
Buttigieg then highlighted Biden’s work on “some of the issues that are especially important to younger generations” such as LGBTQ rights and abortion access. He cited those efforts as evidence that Biden is on the right side of policy issues with the younger voters.
Questions about Biden’s age have loomed large over his 2024 reelection bid. At 81, he is the oldest president in US history and would be 86 at the end of a second hypothetical term.
A myriad of polling has shown consternation about Biden’s age is top of mind among large swaths of voters. Last month, an ABC News/Ipsos survey showed that 86% of voters felt he is too old to serve another term.
Former President Donald Trump, 77, is about four years younger than Biden, and would technically surpass him as the oldest president if he wins in November and serves out a full term.
During her rebuttal to the State of the Union, Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) seemingly took a shot at Biden’s vitality, describing him as a “dithering and diminished leader.”
“I know those response addresses have to be written before the State of the Union is actually delivered,” Buttigieg said. “Anybody who watched that address saw not just in the substance, but in the delivery of President Biden’s remarks, a leader who is in command, showing strength and clarity of vision.”
Allies of Biden hailed his combative, roughly 68-minute-long speech last Thursday as proof that he very much has the prowess needed to take on another four years in the White House.
Biden himself has called questions about his age “legitimate,” but pointed to his record of accomplishments as evidence that he has the acuity to continue serving as commander-in-chief.
Recently, his campaign began rolling out a multimillion-dollar ad buy in which Biden directly confronts the age-old issue.
“Look, I’m not a young guy,” Biden said directly into the camera in the ad. “But I understand how to get things done for the American people.”
Buttigieg went on to tout the economic progress made under Biden’s watch.
“Biden deserves more credit for the historic economic results that he’s delivered. Record job creation, unemployment that hasn’t stayed this low for this long since before I was born,” Buttigieg argued.
The Transportation Secretary stressed that “credit doesn’t accrue unless you go out and take credit,” commending Biden for using his bully pulpit to promote his achievements.