Politics

Dem Senate Candidate Says He Wishes Biden Were ‘10 Years Younger’

[Screenshot/YouTube/DavidTrone]

Democratic Rep. David Trone of Maryland told a crowd that he wishes President Joe Biden were “10 years younger” during a meet and greet event in Stevensville as voters continue to express concern over the incumbent’s age ahead of the November election.

Trone is running for the Senate seat currently held by retiring Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin in the blue state that went for Biden in 2020 by over 33 points. The congressman acknowledged the president’s age as he seeks another term in 2024, but told the attendees of the gathering held by the Queen Anne’s County Democratic Club that “we do the best we can,” according to a video of the remarks obtained by Politico.

“I wish he was 10 years younger — OK, I got it,” Trone said. “Who here doesn’t? I know I do. I really do. But you know — what it is, it is. We do the best we can.”

“Joe Biden, he’s working and firing on all cylinders. Does he talk slower? Yes. Does he move like he’s older? Yes,” Trone continued, per Politico. “But I’m a CEO all my life. People who run the thing are the smart people you hire, the people around you. And getting great people in all those jobs, as many as you can — that’s how the government works, is through others.”

SCOOPLET: As Democratic candidates tiptoe around Biden’s age on the campaign trail, Maryland Democratic Senate hopeful Rep. David Trone told a group of Maryland Dems on Wed. that he wished Biden was “10 years younger,” according to a video I obtained. https://t.co/jGWLdSwP3O pic.twitter.com/4HLfE31KvB

— Daniel Lippman (@dlippman) February 26, 2024

Trone’s remarks follow the release of special counsel Robert Hur’s report, which described Biden as being a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” Hur found that Biden willfully withheld classified documents pertaining to national security matters from when he was vice president, but opted against pursuing criminal charges.

An ABC News/Ipsos poll released Feb. 10 found that 86% of Americans believe Biden, who would be 86 by the end of a potential second term, is “too old” to be reelected compared to 62% who said the same for former President Donald Trump. The same survey indicated that only 3% said “only Trump,” who is 77-years-old, is “too old,” but 27% said the same for Biden.

Biden is currently trailing the former president for a potential 2024 rematch by roughly two points in the RealClearPolitics average. The president is also down in battleground states like Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and Michigan — all of which he won in 2020.

Trone is running for the Democratic Senate nomination alongside County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, who the congressman is leading by 15 points among a crowded field, according to an Emerson College survey released Feb. 15. The same survey found Trone tied with former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan at 42%, while the GOP frontrunner led Alsobrooks by seven points.

The open seat will likely stay in Democratic hands, according to The Cook Political Report’s analysis.

Neither campaigns for Trone nor Biden immediately responded to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.