A House Democrat admits Biden's aging is noticeable, but says the president is 'firing on all cylinders'
- At a meet-and-greet in Maryland, Democratic Rep. David Trone was largely complimentary of Biden.
- He did note the 81-year-old president's age has begun to affect him.
In a speech largely complimentary of President Joe Biden, Democratic Rep. David Trone said the 81-year-old president's age has begun to affect him.
As first reported by Politico on Monday, a video shows Trone telling the crowd at a Maryland Democratic club's meet-and-greet on February 21 that the president is "working and firing on all cylinders."
He admitted, though, that Biden's age has become obvious.
"Does he talk slower?" Trone asked the crowd. "Yes. Does he move like he's older? Yes."
Citing his experience as a CEO, he said the role of a president is to hire "smart people" around them to help run the nation.
"People who run the thing are the smart people you hire, the people around you," Trone said in the 20-minute video, shared with Business Insider by Politico. "And getting great people in all those jobs, as many as you can — that's how the government works, is through others. We can't ever be a one-man team that's going to fail. You got to leverage your talents, leverage your skills through other people, and trust them to run with it."
And as he spoke to a room that appeared to be full of seniors, Trone joked about the recent discourse over Biden's age.
"'I wish he was 10 years younger,'" the 67-year-old Trone said, mocking people critiquing the president's age. "Okay, I got it. Who here doesn't? I know I do… But you know what it is, it is. We do the best we can."
While continuing to represent Maryland's 6th Congressional District in the House, Trone is in the running to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin. Trone could face off against former GOP Gov. Larry Hogan should they both win their respective primaries in May.
"I often say I wish I was 10 years younger," Trone said in a statement. "I also often say Joe Biden is doing an incredible job, which is exactly what I said in the unedited version of this video."