MSNBC host Jen Psaki said that elderly politicians in Congress have "unquestionably" hurt President Joe Biden’s reelection chances.
Speaking on Kara Swisher’s podcast, the former White House press secretary said that recent struggles of older politicians such as Mitch McConnell and Dianne Feinstein had increased voters’ concerns about Biden’s fitness to be president.
"Does it help or hurt that there’s other elderly people struggling in our political universe?" Swisher asked. "Does that affect it, that everyone’s thinking: 'Old Congress, and there’s the head of it'?"
"It unquestionably hurts," Psaki said, adding that voters perceive politicians as "disconnected from what we’re experiencing."
Psaki, however, also referred to an op-ed by Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, in which he called for Biden not to seek reelection due to his age, stating that most voters do not share Ignatius's concerns.
"That is not the conversation happening in the country. That is a conversation … that is happening at dinner parties in Washington and maybe some other coastal cities."
Recent polling has shown that over three-quarters of American voters, including 69 percent of Democrats, believe Biden’s advanced age renders him unable to "effectively serve" another term as president.
A recent ABC/Washington Post poll released Sunday shows former president Donald Trump leading Biden by 9 points in a head-to-head matchup, with 56 percent of voters disapproving of Biden’s job performance.