Jill Biden, the first lady of the US, has dismissed concerns about her husband’s age and mental well-being. In a recent interview with CNN which is yet to air, she stated that current president Joe Biden would “never” consider taking a competency test and called the suggestion “ridiculous.”
Jill Biden dismissed the idea of a competency test
The remarks came in response to a proposal by Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley that all politicians over 75 should undergo a mental competency test to ascertain whether they are fit to fulfill their duties.
“We would never even discuss something like that,” Jill Biden said, highlighting her husband’s recent trips to Poland and Ukraine as evidence of his capacity to still serve as president. She defended his stamina, saying that he works “each and every day.”
“How many 30-year-olds could travel to Poland, get on the train? Go nine more hours, go to Ukraine, meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky?” she asked. “So, look at the man. Look what he’s doing. Look what he continues to do each and every day.”
Joe Biden is yet to confirm a second presidential run
Joe Biden, who is currently 80 years old, would be 86 at the end of his second term if he were to win the presidential elections next year. Despite concerns about his age, Jill Biden said that she was “all for” a second term in the oval office but acknowledged that the decision was ultimately up to her husband. “It’s Joe’s decision,” she said. “And we support whatever he wants to do. If he’s in, we’re there. If he wants to do something else, we’re there too.”
The proposal for a competency test for politicians over 75 has been criticized as discriminatory by some, including Senator Bernie Sanders. In an interview with CBS News last month, an independent senator from Vermont called the proposal “absurd” and argued that age should not be used as a factor in judging whether someone is competent to fulfill their duties.
Although Joe Biden is yet to confirm whether he will run for a second term as president, it is largely expected that he will. However, there are growing concerns that the current president is not physically and mentally fit enough to serve another term as president.
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