President Joe Biden told an interviewer he could “take” him after facing a question about whether his advanced age rendered him unfit for office.
“Large majorities of Americans, including in the Democratic Party, tell pollsters they think you are too old to lead. Could you really do this job as an 85-year-old man?” the interviewer for Time magazine asked last week.
“I can do it better than anybody you know. You’re looking at me, I can take you too,” Biden replied, according to the transcript of the interview, which was published on Tuesday.
It is unclear which interviewer Biden, 81, was addressing. The interview was jointly conducted by editor in chief Sam Jacobs, who at age 38 is the youngest to hold the position since the founding of the magazine, and Washington bureau chief Massimo Calabresi, who appears to be in his mid-50s.
In response to a follow-up question regarding whether he considered forgoing a second term due to his age, Biden said, “No, I didn’t.”
“Look, name me a president that’s gotten as much done as I’ve gotten done in my first three and a half years,” Biden added.
Biden’s age has been a consistent concern among voters throughout this election cycle. A New York Times poll in March found that 73 percent of registered voters, including 56 percent of Democrats, believed Biden was too old to be an effective president.
This is not the first time Biden has responded to questions about his age with boasts of his physical prowess.
During an Iowa campaign stop in 2019, Biden challenged a voter who suggested he was too old to be president to a pushup contest.
“You want to check my shape, let’s do push-ups together. Let’s run. Let’s do whatever you want to do.”
In 2018, Biden also said he would “beat the hell out of” Donald Trump if they were in high school together.
