Biden tries out a new line of attack on Trump: The former president’s age

Washington
CNN
 — 

President Joe Biden on Monday pointedly explored a brand new line of assault towards his once-and-likely-future opponent Donald Trump, mocking Trump’s age as Biden tries to show the tables on one in all his biggest political liabilities.

Firing again towards critics who say his own age is a liability within the upcoming election, 81-year-old Biden informed Seth Meyers, “You bought to check out the opposite man,” referring to the 77-year-old Trump.

“He’s about as outdated as I’m, however he can’t bear in mind his spouse’s title,” he joked, in an obvious reference to an episode over the weekend the place the previous president mistakenly known as his spouse Melania “Mercedes” throughout remarks at CPAC.

In the course of the interview on NBC’s “Late Night time,” Biden stated voters mustn’t simply take into account how outdated a candidate is, however “how outdated (their) concepts are.”

“Look, I imply, this can be a man who needs to take us again,” Biden stated of Trump. “He needs to take us again on Roe v. Wade, he needs to take us again on a complete vary of points which might be – 50, 60 years, they’ve been strong American positions.”

The pre-taped interview with Meyers occurred shortly after the White Home introduced Biden could be visiting the Texas-Mexico border on Thursday – the identical day Trump plans to move to Eagle Move, Texas, about 300 miles away and the epicenter of a current conflict between the state and federal governments over border crossings.

Biden’s feedback about Trump’s age may mark a notable shift within the president’s messaging technique, coming simply days after Trump gained the South Carolina Republican primaries in one other step towards grabbing his celebration’s presidential nomination. The 2 males haven’t usually attacked one another over their age and Trump has previously said he doesn’t believe Biden is just too outdated to run for reelection. As an alternative of attacking Biden straight over his age, Trump as a substitute tries to color Biden as “incompetent,” and “cognitively impaired,” which he argues isn’t solely in regards to the president’s age.

Throughout his journey to Texas, Biden plans to fulfill with US Border Patrol brokers, different regulation enforcement and native elected officers, and “talk about the pressing have to go the Senate bipartisan border safety settlement,” in response to a White Home advisory.

Biden will meet with high congressional leaders on the White Home on Tuesday for a high-stakes assembly to debate the border, together with the necessity to avert a authorities shutdown and go extra urgently wanted funding to Ukraine.

Biden was continuously crucial of Trump throughout his interview with Meyers, mentioning the previous president inside minutes after Meyers requested Biden a query about infrastructure.

“The final man had – he had infrastructure week each week,” Biden stated. “However we truly received it achieved.”

He additionally repeated criticisms about Trump’s current assertion that he would let Russia have their means with NATO member international locations who don’t fulfill funding obligations.

“I imply, what are we speaking about right here? What in God’s title? The concept the president of america is inviting Vladimir Putin to invade … Western international locations? It’s weird, completely weird. And it’s completely towards our curiosity,” Biden stated.

Overseas leaders, Biden stated, are “scared to loss of life” of what a second Trump time period may imply for the connection between america and different international locations.

“Democracy is at stake,” Biden informed Meyers. “It truly is.”