Fox News host slams ‘cutesy’ and ‘ridiculous’ attacks on Trump’s age after years of deriding Biden

The Five host Dana Perino appeared oblivious that her news outlet previously blasted president’s age and mental fitness for months

James Liddell
Tuesday 23 July 2024 18:57 BST
Comments
Fox News host slams ‘cutesy’ and ‘ridiculous’ attacks on Trump’s age

Your support helps us to tell the story

As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.

Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power.

Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election

Head shot of Andrew Feinberg

Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

A Fox News host has claimed it’s “ridiculous” for Democrats to question Donald Trump’s age – despite the 78-year-old ex-president being the oldest presidential nominee in US history after Joe Biden dropped out of the race for the White House.

Less than 24 hours after the 81-year-old president stepped off the Democratic ticket on Sunday Kamala Harris, 59, has secured enough delegates to be nominated as the party’s presidential candidate. That has led Democrats to pounce on Trump and his age - a tactic straight out of the GOP playbook against Biden.

News anchor Dana Perino, however, said it was unfair to question the Republican presidential nominee over his age despite months of the outlet blasting Biden as both incompetent and incapacitated.

“The Democrats have this bat signal that goes out, like ‘here’s the new talking point,’” Perino said on Monday’s episode of The Five.

“So after saying that Joe Biden was perfectly fine, and his age didn’t matter at all, and he ran circles around them at the White House, now all of the sudden this memo basically goes out that says, ‘Trump is now the oldest nominee in history,’” she continued.

“And it’s so incredibly ridiculous, because they actually seem to believe that cutesy ridiculousness like that might work. I don’t think it’s going to work.”

Dana Perino said it’s ‘incredibly ridiculous’ to comment on Donald Trump’s age - after years of attacking Biden for his
Dana Perino said it’s ‘incredibly ridiculous’ to comment on Donald Trump’s age - after years of attacking Biden for his (EPA)

It comes as Biden announced that he would drop his re-election bid following Democrats’ growing concerns over his ability to lead the nation for a second term.

But after Trump’s campaign team perpetuated doubts over Biden’s age and mental fitness after his disaster debate last month, the same arguments are coming back to haunt the former president.

A Washington Post and ABC News poll, conducted before last week’s Republican National Convention, found that 60 percent of Americans said Trump is too old for another term as president.

Now, Trump is struggling to shake a new title: being the oldest presidential nominee in US history.

Donald Trump has earned the title of oldest presidential nominee in US history after Biden’s re-election departure
Donald Trump has earned the title of oldest presidential nominee in US history after Biden’s re-election departure (AFP via Getty Images)

“Seriously, how do you convince people you’re going to make America great again with some old guy who slurs his words and rambles incoherently after his jail ti– … um, I mean bedtime??,” anti-Trump Republican George Conway wrote on X.

In a seperate interview with MeidasTouch, he added: “Now, Trump is the old man in the race. Now, after having raised the issue of cognitive decline, he’s the only one that argument applies to.”

“Donald Trump is too old to be President,” Ohio representative Casey Weinstein also wrote on X.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in