Nancy Pelosi says age is not 'a positive thing' for Biden as the 80-year-old president ponders launching a reelection campaign

• Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi weighed in on Biden's presidency in a recent interview.
• She praised his performance but suggested that age factored negatively into his reelection plans.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recently stepped down from her leadership position. While she said she wouldn't urge President Joe Biden to follow her lead, she suggested that age was one reason he may consider not running again.

"Is age a positive thing for him? No," Pelosi told The New York Times in an interview published Saturday, saying Biden would have to weigh the pros and cons of another campaign.

But Pelosi, 82, said the 80-year-old "has done a great job" and that it would be his decision to make — for her part, she's said publicly that he should run again in 2024.

"He has just done so many things that are so great," Pelosi said in November. "He's put money in people's pockets, vaccines in their arms, children back to school, people back to work — for starters."

She also told The Times that age was "a relative thing" that didn't necessarily correlate with the ability to do the job.

Pelosi added that Biden was not the only Democratic candidate who could beat former President Donald Trump in 2024.

"I think we have other great candidates when the time comes," she said.

While Trump has already launched his reelection bid, Biden is in the planning stages. A recent CBS News report said he could announce a reelection bid as soon as next month. If he runs again and wins, he'll be 86 when he finished his second term in 2028.

In recent years, discussion of age in politics and "gerontocracy" — rule by older people — has grown, with some even floating the idea of an age limit for political office. Insider recently explored the topic in our "Red, White, and Gray" series.

After serving as the top House Democrat for over 20 years — including two stints as speaker of the House — Pelosi stepped down at the end of last year, with Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York taking her place. She continues to serve in Congress as a rank-and-file member representing her San Francisco district.