A Fox News guest sparred with a contributor over President Joe Biden’s fitness to be president during a Monday debate on “The Faulkner Focus.”
Sirius XM host Shermichael Singleton said the 80-year-old president’s age is a “real” concern in the 2024 race because he will likely “not fare well” in the general election. Fox News contributor Richard Fowler took a jab at Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley after a clip played of her calling for mental fitness tests for candidates over the age of 75. Fowler argued Biden is performing better than Haley in the polls.
“But wait a minute. That would follow the logic that people are voting for people based on their age,” host Harris Faulkner pushed back. “That’s not the debate that you’re having with Shermichael.”
Singleton argued the subject in question is mental fitness, not age. He expressed concern over Biden falling up the stairs while entering Air Force One and falling on the stage during an Air Force Academy commencement ceremony in early June.
“I think the question necessarily isn’t about age. The question is, is one mentally and physically fit at an older age, and that is why 68% of Americans looking at Joe Biden falling up the stairs, falling on stage, forgetting where he’s at, saying he’s in one state when he’s in another. Those things are concerning, and I’m not saying this to attack the president, Harris, but people do age differently, and we need to have a serious conversation in this country about whether or not we want someone to lead this country with the nuclear codes for an additional four years, and we’re not certain of their mental or physical fitness,” Singleton said.
Fowler argued there is no documented proof Biden is mentally declining. (RELATED: Dems Are Eyeing A Biden Alternative For 2024 As Concerns Over Age, Approval Mount)
“But Richard, I’m not saying that I’m a doctor. Of course I’m not a doctor. What I’m saying is, I have eyes like most of the American people, and I know what I see,” Singleton pushed back. “And Richard, there is nothing wrong with having the conversation, asking the question, ‘is the president okay?’ You want to just deny that and that’s a bit absurd to me.”
“No, I believe that we can have a conversation but it’s also important to look at the president’s record, and what you see is a president with legislative accomplishments that Donald Trump wished he had, that even Barack Obama, the youngest of the three, wished he had,” Fowler said.
“So you’re not concerned about Joe Biden forgetting where he’s at?” Singleton asked.
“I’m saying —” Fowler began.
“Not concerned about him falling up the stairs, falling on the stage? I just want to get that on the record, Richard,” Singleton said.
Fowler repeated Biden has a list of accomplishments on the domestic and global levels, leading Singleton to point to the botched withdrawal of Afghanistan.
A Harvard Caps/Harris poll from May found over 60% of Americans do not believe Biden can make it to 2028. If re-elected, the president will be 86 by the time he leaves office.