ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith begged Democrats on Friday to nominate someone other than President Joe Biden in 2024.
On Friday’s episode of “The Stephen A. Smith Show,” Smith shared his thoughts about Biden’s recent fall at Air Force Academy’s commencement ceremony, arguing that Biden’s advanced age makes him unfit to be the president.
“It’s just my personal opinion, that’s all it is. Take it for what it’s worth,” Smith said. “Somebody’s gotta say it, so I’m going to say it. We need a new president in 2024. We need a new president.”
Smith claimed that although the fall could have happened to anyone, he believes octogenarians are too old for the White House. (RELATED: Stephen A. Smith Says Donald Trump Vowed To Run For President If He Couldn’t Buy The Buffalo Bills)
I’ll say it…and I know this will make some people mad…but I just think someone 80+ years old is too old to be President.
There has to be better options pic.twitter.com/keewnqFYU0
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) June 2, 2023
“Let me be very, very clear about where I’m going with this. That could happen to anybody. It’s not a big deal. I’ve tripped and busted my behind on several occasions, sometimes running up the stairs. It happens. It’s not the end of the world. It’s not evidence that he’s just not all there. But he is 80. He’ll be 81 by the end of his term, approaching 82.”
Smith clarified that his opinion did not stem from ageism, but from his belief that the responsibilities of the presidency are too “extensive” for someone of Biden’s age.
“Without trying to engage in any kind of ageism at all — because I don’t believe in it — there does come a point in time where there are certain jobs you don’t need,” Smith said. “It’s not that you don’t need to be working, it’s not that you don’t need to be living your life, it’s not that you don’t need to be living a very vibrant lifestyle or anything like that, but there are responsibilities that are far, far, far more extensive than a typical nine-to-five that somebody in their 80s may not need to be doing. I think the presidency is one of them.”
Smith even suggested an alternative candidate, who he said would be “unbeatable” for Democrats: “Michelle Obama. She’d win by a landslide.”