Sen. Amy Klobuchar says she's backing Biden in 2024, despite concerns about age
MINNEAPOLIS -- Both former Vice President Mike Pence and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie are expected to join the crowded Republican field running for president against frontrunner former President Donald Trump. On the Democratic side, leaders continue to rally around President Joe Biden, who at 80 is already the oldest person to serve in the White House.
Republican candidates are already flooding Iowa trying to appeal for support. The Iowa Republican caucuses are about eight months away. There are already polls in Iowa and other early primary and caucus states that show Trump with enormous leads. In Iowa, for example, the latest poll has Trump running 40 points ahead of his nearest rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
On the Democratic side leaders are rallying around Biden, despite private concerns about his age. A hard fall at the Air Force Academy last week again brought attention to his age. Doctors say the president's noticeably stiffened gait is the result of arthritis. At times the president can seem weary -- an appearance in Fridley in April where he seemed to have little energy is just one example. Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips is one of the few Democrats who have publicly said they believe Biden is too old for the job.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who was one of the runners up to Biden in 2020, says she is firmly behind the president. She was a guest on WCCO Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m.
"He has always had this somewhat understated style. I know, I debated him, I ran against him and I know that he is someone that feels very deeply about things," she said. "He's just not someone that gets up and yells all the time. That doesn't not mean he's strong in his beliefs, he did a very good job negotiating this debt agreement just recently."
Biden would be 82 the next time he is sworn in and 86 when he would leave office if he wins a second term. Biden does have two candidates running against him: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the son of the late senator. Kennedy Jr. is perhaps best known these days for his anti-vaccine views. Also running is Marianne Williamson, a self-help author and speaker.
Klobuchar also said on the show she is running for re-election in 2024.
Watch the full interview with Sen. Amy Klobuchar
You can watch WCCO News Sunday Morning with Esme Murphy and Joseph Dames every Sunday at 6 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.