By: NICOLE SILVERIO (Daily Caller News Foundation)
Republican Florida Rep. Byron Donalds hit back at CNN host Kate Bolduan as she asked him about Republican nominee Donald Trump’s age during a Wednesday segment.
Bolduan repeatedly pressed Donalds on whether 78-year-old Trump’s age is a cause for concern for Republicans since President Joe Biden, who is 81, dropped out of the race on July 21. Donalds argued Harris’ past policy record during her time as senator and vice president is the real concern of the 2024 presidential race.
“If you look at Kamala Harris throughout the first 24 days that we’ve seen, she won’t answer questions, she won’t talk to your network or any other network,” Donalds began, followed by pushback from Bolduan that Donalds’ answer didn’t matter to the question of Trump’s age. “She has no specific policies—no, no, but it does matter, and let me explain. If she won’t answer questions, hard-hitting questions about her record and what she’s going to do, not the fluff about joy and moving forward and freedom. We’re talking about the real political and policy issues that are gonna affect the American people. She’s nowhere to be seen.”
“But you think when she sits for interviews and lays out policy, you think that’s going to lead people to think she’s too old to be president? I’m trying to follow the line here,” Bolduan asked.
Donalds argued Harris’ “ability and competency” to lead the U.S. and enact effective policies are at question.
“No, it’s not about her age. It’s about her ability and her competency to lead out country going forward. What’s going to be her economic agenda? Is it going to be different from Joe Biden? I don’t think so,” he said.
Donalds pointed to Harris’ tendency to flip-flop on major policy positions throughout her political career. While in the Senate, Harris co-sponsored of the Green New Deal in 2019 and her support of eliminating the Senate filibuster to get the legislation passed. He further said the vice president co-signed Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ “Medicare For All” bill in the Senate, but is now trying to paint herself as a moderate candidate.
“So what I am saying is not about age, it’s about being a candidate for political and economic change to help our country thrive whether you are black or white, rich or poor, middle income, it doesn’t matter. That person is Donald J. Trump, it is not Kamala Harris,” Donalds said.
A Marquette University Law School poll from August 7 found 57% of voters believe Trump is “too old” to run for president, while 13% said the same for Harris. The poll surveyed 879 participants between July 24-Aug. 1, 2024, with a 4.1 margin of error.
A series of polls found more voters were concerned about Biden’s age than Trump’s. A Gallup News poll from June 27 found 67% of voters believe Biden was too old to be president, while 37% said the same for Trump.
After the June 27 debate, a CBS News/YouGov poll found 50% of voters believed Trump has the cognitive ability to be president, while 72% believed Biden lacked the cognitive ability.
Harris has not participated in a single interview since launching her campaign on July 21, causing backlash among conservatives. The vice president has yet to lay out a detailed proposal of her policy plans and does not list any potential policy proposals on her campaign website.
