President Joe Biden is trying to wave off fears that his age is a hindrance to his reelection bid, but now his former spokesperson seems to be against him.
Jen Psaki, who served as White House press secretary early in the Biden White House and now is an MSNBC host, said that the number of elderly politicians in Washington adds to the perception of the 80-year-old Biden's health.
"Does it help or hurt that there's other elderly people struggling in our political universe?" asked Kara Swisher on her podcast "On With Kara Swisher," during a panel discussion. "You see [Sen.] Dianne Feinstein [D-Calif.], [Senate Republican Leader] Mitch McConnell having his moments. Does that affect it, that everyone's thinking — old Congress, and there's the head of it.
"It unquestionably hurts," Psaki said, noting that there is a feeling "of like these people are so old. They're so old and white, and they're disconnected from what we're experiencing and what we're living. And all of them are old. And why are all these old people running Washington now?"
Not all older politicians are the same, she noted, and have different health issues, "but when you're explaining it, it's kind of a challenge. So I think it's unquestionably bad," Psaki said.