‘Age is more than just a chronological fact’: Kamala Harris gives bizarre defense when asked if Biden, 81, is too old to run again – and insists she is unpopular because the media is sexist and racist

• ‘I would say that age is more than a chronological fact,’ Harris said of Biden 
• She was defending the administration at New York Times’ Dealbook Summit
• She refused to comment on TikTok and defended handling of migration 

Vice President Kamala Harris defended President Joe Biden’s age as they seek a second term in office, saying ‘age is more than a chronological fact.’

Harris also agreed that much of her unpopularity is due to ‘sexism and racism.’

The vice president also refused to comment on TikTok, blasted Kevin McCarthy’s leadership and defend the administration’s handling of immigration crisis in her interview with Andrew Sorkin for the New York Times’ Dealbook Summit.

Harris, in her role as running mate, is expected to be one of Biden’s biggest surrogates and defenders on the campaign trail as they seek four more years in the White House. 

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks onstage during The New York Times Dealbook Summit

But she gave a bizarre answer when asked about concerns – raised by many Republicans and some Democrats – that, at 81, Biden should step down to let a younger generation run for office.  

‘I would say that age is more than a chronological fact,’ Harris said in response. I spend a whole lot of time with our president, be it in the Oval Office or the Situation Room and in other places.’

‘Not only is he absolutely authoritative in rooms around the globe, but in the Oval Office, meeting with members of Congress, meeting with leaders in industry, meeting with community leaders, I will tell you that he is in front of often everyone in the room in terms of thinking about how we can resolve issues.’

Biden, who is the oldest president in American history, has faced questions about his mental and physical health. His doctor has declared him healthy and fit to be president.

But polls show Americans are concerned about his age in a way they are not concerned about Donald Trump’s, who is only three years younger than Biden.

An NBC News poll taken around Biden’s birthday this month showed American voters would rather have any other Republican than Biden in the Oval Office with the president losing by double digits to a no-name contender 48% to 37%.

Meanwhile, a Messenger/Harris poll showed Trump, who leads for the GOP presidential nomination, easily defeating Biden: 47% to 40%. 

Harris, however, defended the president, including slapping down a comment from Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the former speaker. McCarthy, speaking earlier in the summit had commented about the president’s age when talking about the debt limit.

‘When anyone who has had the experience that he has most recently had, I don’t think he’s the judge of negotiations,’ Harris said, a reference to McCarthy losing the House speakership.

President Joe Biden, touring a wind tower manufacturer in Pueblo, Colo., is facing questions about his age as he seeks a second term in office

Vice President Kamala  Harris told Andrew Sorkin she agrees with the assessment that she is unpopular due to ‘sexism and racism’

She was also asked about her own unpopularity. Her approval rating sits at 36%, according to the Five Thirty-Eight average, which is even lower than Biden’s approval, which hovers in the low to mid 40s. 

Host Andrew Sorkin asked Harris if she agreed with an assessment from former White House Chief of Staff Ron Klein, who said Harris’ unpopularity was ‘a function of sexism and racism.’ 

‘As it relates to the meda, I’m sure some of that is true,’ Harris responded.

Harris is the first female and black vice president and the first one of Asian descent. 

She also said that the view that ‘the media’ has of her is more negative than the reception she gets from ‘American people,’ including college students and young voters. 

In her conversation with Sorkin, the vice president refused to be drawn into a debate about TikTok, refusing to comment on the social media platform except to say she doesn’t use it.

Additionally Harris, who was put in charge of leading the administration’s response to the migrant crisis, defended their handling of the issue. 

In September, there were 269,735 encounters along the southwest border in total last month and a new fiscal year high of 2.47 million encounters, according to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol data.

Additionally mayors of the big cities of Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles and New York have been appealing to the administration for money to help with the wave of migrants coming into their cities. 

‘We are’ providing help, Harris argued.

Immigration is becoming a political hot potato for the Biden administration. Even some Democrats – particularly those who represent border states or big cities being flooded by migrants – are pushing Biden to do more.

And Republicans have bashed the Biden administration for the record number of crossings along the Southern border.  

‘I would say it’s no surprise to anyone here that our immigration system is broken,’ she said. 

‘And one could talk about what happened over the previous four years before we came in in terms of what may have been an intent to break our immigration system, but it needs to be repaired and we are working on that in a way that we established a safe and humane and orderly immigration system at the border,’ she added.

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