- Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Biden should “embrace” being older.
- The California Democrat pointed out that Biden is younger than she is.
- “He’s a kid to me as well,” she quipped.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday encouraged President Joe Biden to embrace questions about his age as he runs for reelection having already become the oldest president.
“I think should embrace his age, his experience, […] the knowledge he brings to the job,” Pelosi, who remains a House Democrat with the title of Speaker Emerita, told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “Actually, the leader on the other side isn’t much younger.”
Pelosi’s comments underline how for now the US appears headed for a rematch between Biden, who is 80, and former President Donald Trump, who just turned 77 last month. Insider explored the issue of aging leaders and how the US became effectively a “gerontocracy” in its months-long “Red, White, and Gray” series of reports.
Biden has taken to laughing off the subject. The president has upped his use of his age as a punchline, exaggerating it to comedic effect as a way to poke fun at Republicans who frequently question his standing. Despite his jokes, age remains a frequent factor in news coverage of Biden. The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that four experts said both Biden and Trump, barring a major accident or illness, were “likely to retain the cognitive and physical abilities to perform as president between 2025 and 2029.”
Pelosi, was the oldest House speaker at 82, before Republicans narrowly retook the chamber in 2022. The California Democrat later stepped down from House Democratic leadership, paving the wave for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, 52, to rise.
“Age is a relative thing,” Pelosi said.
Pointing to the longevity of some other major figures, Pelosi added that Biden is quite young.
“I was in LA for some Democratic stuff recently, I met with [legendary screenwriter] Norman Lear, who is 100 going on 101, who was telling me about some new shows he’s involved in,” she said. “I was meeting with Frank Gehry, a 90-something architect, showing me new buildings he’s building throughout the world. They were like, 80? He’s a kid.”
Biden is younger than her too, Pelosi, who is now 83, pointed out.
“He’s a kid to me as well.”
