MSNBC pundit Joe Scarborough said Wednesday that every Democrat he has spoken to privately believes President Biden is “too old” to run for reelection next year.
During an appearance on “Morning Joe,” Washington Post columnist David Ignatius spoke to Scarborough and co-host Mika Brzezinski about his new piece calling on Biden and Vice President Harris to halt their plans to run in 2024.
“I think it comes down to what we were talking about earlier — is Joe Biden the person who can stop Donald Trump or somebody like Trump who gets the Republican nomination?” Ignatius said. “That’s what he’s got to — he’s got to look in the mirror, search his soul and make that decision. And I wanted to raise that question. I’d like him to think that through carefully because I have my concerns.”
Scarborough responded by accusing Democrats of saying different things about Biden off the air than they do on the air.
“Just to answer David’s question,” Scarborough responded. “Mika and I, everybody, we talk to, every political discussion, it talks a lot about Trump, but when it comes to Joe Biden, people say, ‘Man, he’s too old to run.’ He’s, and I mean, he’s not going to, he’s not really going to run.”
“So, you know, we often will complain about Republicans who will say one thing about Donald Trump off the air and another on air,” he added. “Well, let me just say, Democrats, off the air, will say ‘Joe Biden’s too old. Why is he running.’ On the air? They won’t say that.”
Ignatius, a top columnist for the Post, joined a host of pundits who are calling on Biden to not seek reelection. While he cited Biden’s accomplishments while in office, he said that it is time for them to step aside, suggesting that the president’s age is a liability.
“In sum, he has been a successful and effective president,” Ignatius wrote in his opinion piece.
“But I don’t think Biden and Vice President Harris should run for reelection. It’s painful to say that, given my admiration for much of what they have accomplished,” Ignatius continued. “But if he and Harris campaign together in 2024, I think Biden risks undoing his greatest achievement — which was stopping Trump.”