US Vice President Kamala Harris has brushed aside concerns over Biden’s age, stating that “Joe Biden is very much alive and running for re-election”.
Harris made the comments during an interview with Bill Whitaker, a correspondent on CBS’ 60 Minutes programme.
Whitaker asked the Vice President about whether she would take over if Joe Biden, 80, was unable to see through his re-election bid.
The interviewer said that Democratic donors were sceptical over giving her their support.
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Harris shut down the question: “Well, first of all, I'm not going to engage in that hypothetical, 'cause Joe Biden is very much alive and running for re-election.”
Whitaker continued to press Harris, expressing that the worries surrounding Biden’s health and age was a “legitimate concern”.
She responded by saying that she ignores speculation in her job.
“I hear from a lot of different people a lot of different things. But let me just tell you, I'm focused on the job. I truly am," Harris said.
“Our democracy is on the line, Bill. And I frankly, in my head, do not have time for parlour games, when we have a president who is running for re-election,” Harris continued. “That's it.”
Biden’s frequent gaffes and errors whilst speaking have become a cause for concern.
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Harris refused to talk about whether she would be the likely choice to replace Biden if his health failed
|Reuters
Earlier this month, Joe Biden addressed members of the press whilst on Air Force One, his speech being slurred and confused.
The clip in question followed Biden’s visit to Israel in the wake of Hamas’s terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7, which has fuelled renewed conflict in the region.
Within the same week, Biden gave a televised address to America from the White House. He addressed the nation, pledging his commitment to standing by Israel.
However, the speech was riddled with blunders and errors, as he struggled with reading off the autocue.
He appeared to read instructions set out on the teleprompter, including the direction reading “make it clear”.
Later in the speech, the 80-year-old bizarrely stated, "you're all America” after struggling to read his script, before correcting himself to say: “You're all American.”
Joe Biden repeatedly stumbled over his teleprompter earlier this month
| REUTERSThe most recent gaffes are the latest in a string of many publicly made blunders made by the 80-year-old.
Last month, a rival party filed for a conservatorship for the President.
The US Libertarian Party filed for conservatorships for Biden, as well as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnel, 81, referring to them as “geriatric elites”.
A conservatorship is appointed by a judge when a person is unable to make decisions for themselves, so another individual is given decision making powers on their behalf.
The Libertarian Party’s Chair, Angela McArdle, said that the party has spoken with several attorneys who have confirmed that an organisation can have a conservatorship over an individual in Washington DC.
Biden is the oldest living president ever.
He plans to run for re-election and if successful, would begin his second term aged 82 and conclude it aged 86.