BUT HIS AGE HAS A BECOME AN
UNCOMFORTABLE ISSUE FOR HIM AND
HIS PARTY.
JOINING ME NOW, WASHINGTON
EXAMINER CHIEF POLITICAL
CORRESPONDENT AND A FOX BUSINESS
CONTRIBUTOR, BYRON YORK.
BYRON, ALWAYS GREAT TO SEE YOU.
78 ON INAUGURATION DAY, 79 NOW,
82 IN THE NEXT ELECTION CYCLE,
86 IF HE WERE TO FINISH HIS
SECOND TERM.
THE OLDEST PRESIDENT TO END HIS
TENURE WAS RONALD REAGAN, HE WAS
77 YEARS OLD.
FOR SOME AMERICANS AGE IS JUST A
NUMBER.
WHEN YOU ARE COMMANDER IN CHIEF,
MANY FEEL IT MEANS A LOT MORE.
YOUR THOUGHTS.
>> WELL, THE 86 IS THE BIG
NUMBER FOR A LOT OF THE
DEMOCRATS WHO ARE TALKED ABOUT
IN THIS NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE
IN THE SENSE THAT THEY’RE
WORRIED ABOUT PRESIDENT BIDEN
RUNNING AGAIN.
ESPECIALLY SINCE HE IS SHOWING
SIGNS OF AGE NOW.
AND THE ARTICLE TALKED TO A
NUMBER OF ANONYMOUS WHITE HOUSE
STAFFERS WHO SAID THEY WERE
CONCERNED ABOUT THINGS LIKE
PRESIDENT’S SHUFFLING ALONG
SOMETIMES WHEN HE WALKS, THEY
WERE WORRIED HE WOULD TRIP ON A
WIRE.
HE LOSES HIS PLACE SOMETIMES
MANY PUBLIC REMARKS, MAYBE HAS A
HARD TIME REMEMBERING NAMES.
LOSES HIS TRAIN OF THOUGHT.
THEY ALL HOLD THEIR BREATH FOR
HIM TO GET THROUGH VARIOUS
PUBLIC ADDRESSES.
AND FINALLY, IT’S SAID THAT HIS
TRIP TO THE MIDDLE EAST, WHICH
IS GOING TO HAPPEN THIS WEEK,
THEY HAD ORIGINALLY PLANNED IT
TO BE PART OF A LARGER TRIP TO
EUROPE LAST MONTH, BUT THEN THEY
DECIDED THEY SHOULDN’T DO THAT
BECAUSE A 10-DAY TRIP WOULD BE
TOO ARDUOUS FOR A MAN HIS AGE.
SO JOE BIDEN’S AGE IS AFFECTING
HOW THIS WHITE HOUSE RUNS.
>> Reporter: AND THEY’RE JUST
GETTING STARTED IN THE FIRST
TERM, SO YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT
THE REPERCUSSIONS IF WE WENT
LONGER TERM.
NEW YORK TIMES, OBVIOUSLY, LEANS
LEFT, AND 64%, THEY SAY, OF
THOSE WHO WERE POLLED WOULD
CHOOSE A DIFFERENT CANDIDATE.
THEY WOULD NOMINATE A DIFFERENT
DEMOCRAT CANDIDATE IN 2024.
WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT SAYS
ABOUT WHAT’S HAPPENING?
>> WELL, IT’S AN ABSOLUTELY
EXTRAORDINARY NUMBER BECAUSE THE
TIMES FOLLOWED UP THE STORY
ABOUT BIDEN’S AGE WITH A STORY
TODAY OF THEIR NEW POLL, AND IT
DID SHOW THAT 64% OF DEMOCRATS,
OF THE PRESIDENT’S PARTY, WOULD
LIKE TO SEE ANOTHER, A DIFFERENT
NOMINEE IN 2024.
ONLY 26% SAID THEY WOULD LIKE TO
SEE JOE BIDEN RENOMINATED.
AND THEN WHEN THEY WERE ASKED,
THOSE DEMOCRATS AGAIN -- NOT
REPUBLICANS, DEMOCRATS -- THEY
WERE ASKED, WELL, WHY IS IT YOU
WOULD LIKE TO SEE A NEW NOMINEE,
THEY MENTIONED JOE BIDEN’S AGE
MOST OF ALL.
IT’S SOMETHING THAT CONCERNS
THEM AND ESPECIALLY SINCE IF HE
WERE REELECTED, THE THE
PRESIDENT WOULD SERVE UNTIL AGE
86 WHICH HAS NEVER, NOTHING LIKE
THAT, EVEN CLOSE TO THAT, HAS
EVER HAPPENED IN AMERICAN
HISTORY.
JACKIE: LET ME ASK YOU THIS,
PUTTING THE NUMBERS ASIDE AND
PEOPLE’S JUDGMENTS ASIDE,
INTERNALLY WHETHER IT’S KARINE
JEAN-PIERRE OR PETE BUTTIGIEG,
KAMALA HARRIS, THEY’RE ALL
SAYING HAY WANT HIM TO RUN
AGAIN.
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE SAID HE HAS
MORE ENERGY THAN SHE DOES.
LISTEN TO THIS SOUND BITE WITH
PETE BUTTIGIEG.
>> YES, I DO EXPECT HIM TO RUN,
I’LL SUPPORT HIM, AND LET ME
TELL YOU WHY HE’S GOING TO HAVE
A LOT TO BE PROD -- PROUD OF.
>> LISTEN TO PRESIDENT BIDEN.
HE INTENDS TO RUN,S AND IF HE
DOES, I INTEND TO RUN WITH HIM.
[LAUGHTER]
SO THERE YOU GO.
JACKIE: I MEAN, I REALIZE TO A
CERTAIN EXTENT THIS IS WHAT THEY
HAVE TO DO.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, PEOPLE SEE
REALITY OF THE SITUATION ALSO,
AND THEY’D LIKE TO KNOW THAT
HE’S NOT POTENTIALLY RUNNING AND
THAT YOU’VE GOT A GOOD BACKUP
SITUATION READY TO GO FOR THE
PARTY.
>> WELL, THEY DON’T --
JACKIE: RIGHT.
[LAUGHTER]
>> THAT’S THE EXTRAORDINARY
THING.
FIRST OF ALL, BOTH OF THOSE
PEOPLE, THE VICE PRESIDENT AND
THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION,
BOTH RAN AGAINST JOE BIDEN IN
THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES IN 2020
AND LOST TO HIM.
BUT IF THE PRESIDENT WERE TO
DECIDE NOT TO RUN, THIS SETS OFF
A REAL DILEMMA FOR DEMOCRATS
BECAUSE HIS OBVIOUS NATURAL
SUCCESSOR WOULD BE THE VICE
PRESIDENT.
BUT SHE DOESN’T POLL VERY WELL
EITHER, AND THERE WOULD BE SOME
DEMOCRATS WHO ARE SAYING THEY
NEED A NEW CANDIDATE. ON THE
OTHER HAND, PUSHING THE SITTING
VICE PRESIDENT OFF THE TICKET
WOULD BE REALLY, REALLY
DIFFICULT FOR DEMOCRATS.
JACKIE: YEAH.
AND KAMALA HARRIS, FIRST FEMALE
VICE PRESIDENT, HAD SUCH AN
OPPORTUNITY HERE THAT I THINK
SHE ABSOLUTELIEN SQUANDERED.
BUT HAVING SAID THAT, YOU’RE
RIGHT, IT’S DIFFICULT TO SAY
THAT SHE’LL BE, YOU KNOW, THE
TOP OF THE TICKET NEXT TIME.
IT’S TOUGH FOR PEOPLE TO
SWALLOW.
HAVING SAID THAT, FOX NEWS POWER
RANKINGS PREDICTING THAT
REPUBLICANS ARE GOING TO TAKE
CONTROL OF THE HOUSE IN
NOVEMBER.
MIDTERM ELECTIONS ARE COMING,
YOU KNOW?
YOUR THOUGHTS ON HOW PEOPLE ARE
FEELING, WHERE WE STAND, HOW
POSSIBLY THE OVERTURNING OF ROE
V. WADE PLAYS INTO THINGS.
I MEAN,S A LOT OF THINGS UNTIL
WE GET THERE.
>> WELL, A LOT OF STRATEGISTS
FEEL THAT A REPUBLICAN TAKEOVER
OF THE HOUSE IS VERY, VERY, VERY
LIKELY.
NOT THE SENATE.
THE SENATE IS STILL A QUESTION
MARK IN SOME AREAS.
BUT THE HOUSE, THEY FEEL, IS
VERY LIKELY.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, THEY TEND
TO BELIEVE THAT THESE ELECTIONS
SOMEHOW GET KIND OF SET IN STONE
SEVERAL MONTHS AHEAD OF TIME.
THEY DO NOT SEE THE ROE
DECISION, THEY DO NOT SEE GUN
ISSUES MAKING A SIGNIFICANT
DIFFERENCE IN THE MIDTERM
ELECTIONS BECAUSE THE ISSUES OF
THE ECONOMY, AND MOST
SPECIFICALLY OF INFLATION, ARE
SO STRONG RIGHT NOW AND THERE’S
SUCH UNHAPPINESS.
IN THAT NEW YORK TIMES POLL,
ONLY 13% OF THOSE SURVEYED SAID
THAT THEY THOUGHT THE COUNTRY
WAS ON THE RIGHT TRACK.
JACKIE: YEAH, THAT --
>> THAT IS A RECIPE FOR A CHANGE
ELECTION.
JACKIE: THAT NUMBER IS FAR TOO
LOW.
BYRON, ALWAYS GREAT TO SEE YOU.