WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden addressed his fitness for office as he embarks on a re-election campaign as the oldest president to serve in office, in an interview with Stephanie Ruhle, host of “The 11th Hour on MSNBC.”
“I’ve acquired a hell of a lot of wisdom and know more than the vast majority of people,” the president said. “I’m more experienced than anybody who has ever run for the office. And I think I’ve proven myself to be honorable as well as effective,” said Biden, who turns 82 soon after Election Day in 2024 and would leave office at age 86 if re-elected, has in the past dismissed concerns about his age, responding, “Watch me,” or asking the public to weigh him against a Republican alternative.
Still, polling shows Biden’s age remains a vulnerability with voters, with a majority of Americans telling NBC News that they do not want him to run for office again.
The president suggested bad press was to blame for surveys that show him underwater with the public.
“All they’ve heard is negative news. Everything is negative,” Biden said. “That’s number one.”
But the president indicated he was hopeful this could change as his administration ramps up spending from legislation passed during his first two years in office.
“Much of what we were able to do, only is going to come into play now,” Biden said. “It’s one thing to say we’re going to rebuild this bridge that is in the process of collapsing. It’s another thing to actually get it built yet. And that’s all just started.”
Separately, Biden said he is prepared to negotiate with Republicans over the nation’s budget, but not the debt ceiling, which could be hit as soon as June 1 and trigger a default and possibly catastrophic economic reactions.
“I think that we have to make it clear to the American people that I am prepared to negotiate in detail with their budget. How much are you going to spend? How much are you going to tax? Where can we cut?” Biden said.
Biden said House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is being driven by extreme factions in his caucus.
“He’s an honest man,” Biden said of McCarthy. “The MAGA Republicans really have put him in a position where in order to stay Speaker he has to agree — he’s agreed to things that, maybe he believes, but are just extreme.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
