Harris: Biden should be measured by his record, not his age

Vice President Harris urged voters to judge President Biden on his record of achievements, not his age, as polls show the public remains concerned about Biden's ability to do the job for another term.

“Here’s the thing I’ll say: Actions speak louder than words," Harris said in an interview with SiriusXM’s "Joe Madison The Black Eagle" that aired Tuesday.

"So I just say to folks, listen, let's not get distracted. Let's look at whether we have a president who has actually produced and followed through on his commitments and especially on longstanding issues that needed to be addressed," Harris continued.

"Joe Biden has done that. That's the measure of the man, not what's on his birth certificate in terms of his age."

Biden will turn 81 this month, and he would be 86 at the end of a potential second term in office.

Polling has for months shown that many voters — including Democrats — believe Biden is too old to effectively serve another term in the White House. That polling has in some cases led to increased scrutiny of Harris as Biden's running mate, as the president works to inject enthusiasm into his campaign ahead of a likely rematch against former President Trump.

Harris's comments echo those Biden and other White House officials have repeatedly made in response to polling about the president's age. They argue that Biden should be judge on his record and his ability to do the job, pointing to a list of legislative accomplishments such as the Inflation Reduction Act and bipartisan infrastructure law.

Some Democrats have also noted that Trump, the frontrunner for the GOP nomination, is 77.

The vice president's comments came days after a New York Times/Siena College poll found Trump leading Biden in five out of six battleground states in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup.