After swapping their aging presidential candidate for presumptive replacement Kamala Harris, Dems are now attempting to flip the script on GOP nominee Donald Trump for being the oldest presidential candidate in U.S. history.
A day after President Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 race, Democrats who once touted the 81-year-old’s experience and wisdom are now weaponizing the age issue against former President Trump.
With Biden no longer running against him, Trump has become the oldest candidate to seek high office at age 78.
“The American people are rightly concerned that the Republican Party has nominated Donald Trump, a 78-year-old convicted criminal who has spent decades screwing over working people, and now wants to destroy our democracy, ban abortion, and only cares about himself,” said a spokesperson for Harris.
Furthermore, The New York Times reported on Monday that Harris plans to use Trump’s age against him on the campaign trail.
However, Trump’s campaign already appears prepared to counter the attack. On Monday, Trump officials said, “It’s not about age; it’s about competence.”
“Kamala Harris has proven to be just as incompetent and ineffective as Joe Biden. She was named the Border Czar and has overseen the worst border crisis in history. President Trump is stronger than ever, as proven by his relentless work ethic and remarkable resolve following the gruesome attempt on his life. The American people trust President Trump to lead our nation back to greatness,” said the national press secretary for Trump’s campaign, Karoline Leavitt.
Other leftist groups and Democrats got the age memo, too.
“Donald Trump is 78 years old and in a state of profound cognitive decline. He should end his campaign immediately,” Occupy Democrats wrote.
Democrat Representative Casey Weinstein of Ohio said in a post that Trump “is too old to be president.”
“Democrats are going to immediately flip the script of what we’ve heard Republicans say about Biden, now that Trump is the oldest candidate for President in history. Whether it’s Kamala Harris or others, that will be a case to make for voters; this is a 24/7 job, and mental acuity is a big factor in it,” said Dr. Casey Burgat, George Washington University legislative affairs program director.
Trump critics haven’t mentioned the differences between Trump and Biden
Although both Trump and Biden are older than past presidential candidates, some differences have not been mentioned by Trump’s critics.
For example, while Biden has appeared frail in recent months, Donald Trump has talked up his continued physical activity and said he had improved his health, passed a cognitive test with flying colors, and lost weight—testing Joe Biden didn’t consent to take. Former President Trump has also been golfing several times recently and boasted of winning club championships.
Earlier this month, Trump challenged Biden to a golf match during a Florida rally, picking up on an odd diversion between the two men during their June debate.
“I will even give Joe Biden 10 strokes a side. Ten strokes, that’s a lot. That means 20 strokes, in case you don’t play golf. I will give him ten strokes a side, and if he wins, I will give the charity of his choice, any charity that he wants, $1 million,” said Trump.
Trump has additionally said it wasn’t Biden’s age that should have disqualified him from office but instead a somewhat diminished mental capacity.
In the meantime, many Dems have remained silent on some of Joe Biden’s more embarrassing memory lapses; it was the President, not Trump, who called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Russian President Vladimir Putin in remarks in front of NATO. He also called Harris “Vice President Trump” in the same speech.
President Biden’s garbled answers and poor memory at the June 27 debate with Trump intensified pressure on him to drop out of the race amid concerns about his health, fitness for office, and age.
Ironically, it is that performance that triggered the events that may have now left Trump to answer attacks from Dems on his age, despite many remaining silent on Biden’s.”But like a lot of politicians, Trump’s energy seems to mask a lot of these concerns, and he is now also flanked by a younger running mate,” said Dr. Laura Smith, the University of Oxford presidential researcher, referring to Trump’s 39-year-old running mate J.D. Vance.
