Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican candidate for the 2024 presidential election, said that incumbent US President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump were too old to run for the White House for another term.
When Biden, who is now 81 years old, entered the White House in January 2021, he became the country’s oldest President at the age of 78.
Meanwhile Trump, who became the first President in American history without prior public office or military background, took office in 2017 when he was 71 years old.
Speaking to CNN on Sunday, the 45-year-old DeSantis said the presidency is “not a job for somebody that is pushing 80”.
“I just think that that’s something that has been shown with Joe Biden. Father Time is undefeated. Donald Trump is not exempt from any of that,” the Republican said.
The Governor even asserted that he is in the “prime of my life” while noting that Trump would be older than Biden was at the start of his term if he were to take office in 2025.
In the 2024 presidential election, age has become a topic of main focus, with Trump mocking Biden and questioning his mental fitness for office.
But the former President has also had a fair share of gaffes and verbal slips on the trail.
Meanwhile, DeSantis’s campaign launching an “accident tracker” for Trump gaffes last month that highlights apparent verbal slip-ups, such as when the former President appeared to confuse his predecessor Barack Obama with Biden.
DeSantis said these “accidents” point to Trump not being “the same guy” he was when he first ran for president in 2016.
When asked about Trump’s mental acuity and his ability to beat Biden in a general election, DeSantis told CNN: “I wouldn’t be running unless I thought that the Democrats would beat Trump if he were the nominee.
“You’re gonna see scorched earth. You’re gonna see all this stuff brought out from from the past…The whole election will end up being a referendum on Donald Trump, and Biden will be able to hang out in the basement, and I think he’ll be able to get away with it again.”
The Governor further asserted that “I will serve two terms, deliver big results, and get the country moving again”.
“That’s what Republican voters want to see.” he told CNN.
Despite waning poll numbers, DeSantis has kept a vigorous pace on the campaign trail.
Over the past two days, he has appeared at eight public events and continued his swing through Iowa on Sunday.
In contrast with Biden and Trump, DeSantis often hits campaign events with his wife, Casey, and three children.
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