Maxwell Frost, Congress’s youngest member, comes to Biden’s defence over age scrutiny

President Joe Biden has faced mounting criticism over his age in recent weeks, with some polling suggesting it could deter voters from supporting him in the 2024 presidential election. But Mr Biden’s allies, including Florida Representative Maxwell Frost, say that is not true.

Mr Frost, 27, is the youngest member of Congress. He believes that other young voters are less concerned about age than people think – pointing to the perception of Senator Bernie Sanders in 2020 as an example.

“Look, a lot of young people really loved Bernie Sanders, right? He’s also old. So it’s not really about age, but it’s about policies,” Mr Frost told The Independent.

Mr Sanders, who was 78 at the time of his 2020 presidential campaign, was particularly popular with young voters in the primaries. He received the majority of the young people’s vote in New Hampshire and Iowa before suspending his campaign.

Ultimately, when it came time to vote in the general election, more than half of young voters supported Mr Biden – something Mr Frost emphasised.

“The highest youth voter turnout we’ve ever had in our country’s history was in 2020. Who’d they vote for? For Joe Biden,” Mr Frost said.

Despite a recent Harvard poll finding young Americans are less likely to vote in 2024 than in 2020, Mr Maxwell said he expects Gen Z to vote in record numbers this election cycle.

While Mr Biden’s age has long been a talking point, he has faced more scrutiny lately after Special Counsel Robert Hurr released a damning report claiming the president presented as an “elderly man with a poor memory” and was unable to recall major events of his life.

Following the report, Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson claimed Mr Biden was “not fit” to be president. Other Republicans echoed similar sentiments.

The president, as well as other Democrats, insist the report was “inaccurate” and that Mr Biden’s memory is “fine”.

Mr Frost believes voters – especially young voters – are less focused on Mr Biden’s age and more focused on his policies, especially in a politically tense environment.

Mr Frost added: “I live in a state run by a right-wing neo-fascist... He stepped into being an authoritarian governor and someone who’s clamping down on civil rights and civil liberties, and it’s hurting people. People are feeling the negative aspects of the government more than they are the positive.”

Whether or not Governor Ron DeSantis’ policies can be fairly described as fascist is subject to debate. At an event last year, DeSantis responded to someone calling him a fascist by thanking the heckler, then saying that his position is merely to protect children from a liberal agenda.

However, Mr Frost believes it’s Mr Biden’s policies, which are more radical and progressive than some might give him credit for, that will win voters over.

“We’re talking about a president who has had the most aggressive climate agenda out of any president we’ve ever seen, [and] the Office of Gun Violence Prevention – which is something that a lot of young people care about,” Mr Frost said.