Bernie Sanders tells Biden to 'turn off the teleprompter' and let voters judge 'how well he's doing'
Sen. Sanders advised President Biden Monday that he should engage with voters without relying on tools like a teleprompter.
"I think what he has got to do is get out there, interact with people, turn off the teleprompter and people can make a judgment for themselves how well he is doing," Sanders said.
Political commentators and pundits have raised concerns about Biden's mental sharpness and ability to serve out another term, especially after his debate with former President Trump.
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Sanders responded to those concerns but also criticized the media for valuing the entertainment ability of a presidential candidate above their policy positions.
"This I really fault media for," Sanders said. "This is not who is the best entertainer. The truth is Trump had a good TV show. He was a very good entertainer."
"So what we’ve got to do is inject policy, the contrast between what Biden stands for and what Trump stands for," he continued. "And then if you do that, I think Biden’s going to do just fine."
When pressed about Biden's mental sharpness, Sanders said that voters can judge that issue for themselves through live events the president holds.
"What I think is best is for him to get out, to talk to people, to do town meetings, to do press conferences and let the people decide," Sanders said. "That‘s how I think you determine cognitive ability."
Sanders also criticized the media, saying that it largely "makes politics into a beauty contest, into a Grammy Award-winning contest."
"You are voting for somebody on policy," he said. "Who is going to improve your life?"
Amid calls for Biden to do live interviews and events, the president has done a number of interviews, including with ABC'S George Stephanopoulos and MSNBC's "Morning Joe."
CNN host and presidential debate moderator Jake Tapper said that Biden has "not held a press conference to demonstrate" his cognitive ability.
"He continues to do what he has done sparingly in the past, the short taped sit-down with an anchor, in this case George Stephanopoulos," Tapper said.
The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.