President Joe Biden claimed that Vice President Kamala Harris “hasn’t gotten the attention she deserves,” as he defended his reelection campaign’s strategy of featuring Harris because of questions surrounding his age.
During an interview with MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle, Biden, 80, was asked what message his campaign sent by featuring Harris “10 times” in the video announcing he would run for re-election.
“Look, I just think that Vice President Harris hasn’t gotten the credit she deserves,” Biden said. “She was an attorney general of the state of California. She has been a United States senator, she is really very, very good. And with everything going on, she hasn’t gotten the attention she deserves.”
Biden says he thinks Kamala Harris “hasn’t gotten the credit she deserves.”pic.twitter.com/fsgVkZE6he
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) May 6, 2023
Ruhle noted that Biden, already the oldest sitting U.S. president in history, would be 82 years old at the beginning of his second term if he wins re-election.
“Critics would say you’re elevating [Harris] because they think you wouldn’t serve a full term, and it is fair to say that there’s not a Fortune 500 company in the world looking to hire a CEO in his 80s. So why would an 82-year-old Joe Biden be the right person for the most important job in the world?” she asked.
“Because I have acquired a hell of a lot of wisdom and know more than the vast majority of people,” Biden replied, arguing he has more experience than any individual who’s run for office.
Despite Biden’s claims, polls show his age remains a concern for voters. According to a CBS poll, only 22% of Democrats were “excited” about Biden’s re-election campaign. The poll found that nearly 50% of Democrats were concerned about the president’s age.
In the interview, Biden also claimed that his poll numbers were low because the media was unfavorably covering his administration, arguing that “negative” reporting is the only way to maintain viewership.
“All they’ve heard is negative news for three years,” Biden suggested of the American people. “Everything is negative. I’m not being critical of the press, but you turn on the television — the only way you’re gonna get a hit is if there’s something negative, you know. You don’t — anyway, that’s number one.”
Axios recently reported that senior Biden adviser Anita Dunn directed White House teams to schedule more events featuring Harris and have her promote popular aspects of the Democratic platform to connect her with voters.
Biden’s first two years in office saw Harris tasked with the “least popular” and “most difficult” issues, such as reforming elections and handling the southern border crisis. Democrats have claimed that Harris was “set up to fail” with the tasks she’s faced, but Harris has dismissed those claims.
