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Posted 12 Sep 2023, 8:41 pm EDT
For Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Joe Biden is 80 and Donald Trump is 77; It is a variable that could be of great importance in choosing the next presidentensuring that age is “an absolutely legitimate concern” for voters in 2024.
According to the Republican, believes Americans must be prepared for the next generation of leadership, “The presidency is not a job for someone who is 80 years old,” DeSantis said.
In an interview with CBS News, DeSantis clarified that while “there is nothing wrong with being 80 years old. Obviously I’m the governor of Florida. I know many older people. They are excellent people. But you are talking about a job in which you need to be 100%. “We need an energetic president.”
“I think there will be many Americans who will want to see a generational transition,” insisted the almost 45-year-old Republican.
This position was also supported by a CBS News poll, which noted that 80% of Americans believe elected officials over 75 are at risk of being out of touch with the times, and 78% have concerns about their ability to do their job. More than half of Americans surveyed, 53%, believe the presidency is too demanding for someone over 75.
It should be noted that DeSantis is not the first time that he has used age as a campaign flag; before, last May, he alluded to Trump in his speech by drawing parallels and contrasts, although without mentioning it, he made a direct comment regarding the millionaire’s age.
“The United States needs a strong president, capable of serving two terms” referring to the fact that Trump, for constitutional reasons, will only be able to serve one more term and that, if he becomes president, he would end it at more than 80 years of age.
Even in the face of Trump’s own avalanche of legal problems, the governor of Florida expressed an acid opinion about the possibility that the former president could face legal charges and, if so, could go to jail.
DeSantis argued that sending a former president to prison, especially someone in his late 80s, “would not be beneficial to the country.”
*With information from CBS News.