Politics

Rep. Carolyn Maloney Says She Doesn't Think Biden's Running Again When Asked Whether He Should Seek Reelection

Maloney is currently running against fellow Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler, who dodged the same question, saying it is "too early to say" when asked at the debate about if Biden should run again in 2024

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Published on August 3, 2022 04:00 PM

As questions swirl regarding whether any Democrats might throw their hat in the ring against Joe Biden in the 2024 president election, at least one party representative doesn't think the president will run for reelection at all.

Asked in a Tuesday debate whether 79-year-old Biden should run again in 2024, New York Rep. Carolyn Maloney shrugged aside the question by responding, "I don't believe he's running for reelection," CNN reports.

Maloney is currently running against fellow Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler, who dodged the same question, saying it is "too early to say" when asked at the debate if Biden should vie for the nomination.

Despite being longtime friends and allies who began their congressional careers in the early 1990s, Maloney and Nadler are now pitted against one another in the primary race for New York's 12th District, due to census redistricting.

When pressed by CNN what she meant by her remark, Maloney remained vague, saying she would support Biden if he did choose to run again.

"If he decides to run, I'm supporting him. I'm supporting him and I don't have other comment," Maloney told the outlet the day after the debate. "I think that he's done a terrific job and most recently the inflation reduction plan. There are so many good things in it for the economy and for people. And I'm supporting him if he runs. OK?"

While the White House has offered no indication that Biden won't run again, some have reportedly speculated privately that he won't.

On Jan. 20, 2021, he was sworn in as the oldest commander-in-chief in U.S. history at 78.

Predecessor Donald Trump was previously the oldest-ever president to take office. He was 70 at his inauguration, in 2017.

Age played a role in the 2020 election, with Trump claiming that Biden was secretly suffering from dementia. Trump meanwhile faced scrutiny of his own during some of his events, as when he seemed to struggle to hold a glass of water or walk down a ramp.

Biden has pushed back against claims of age being an issue, saying on 60 Minutes a month prior to the election: "The same guy who thought that the 9/11 attack was a 7-Eleven attack. He's talkin' about dementia? All I can say to the American people is: Watch me ... see what I've done ... see what I'm gonna do. Look at me. Compare our physical and mental acuity. I'm happy to have that comparison."

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Former President Jimmy Carter, the oldest living president at 96 (who was 52 when he took office in 1977), has said that he supported an age limit for those in the White House.

"I hope there's an age limit," he said in September 2019. "If I were just 80 years old, if I was 15 years younger, I don't believe I could undertake the duties I experienced when I was president."