Former Democratic lawmaker had 'great concerns' about Biden's ability to speak, says race was 'unwinnable'

Former Democratic Rep. Susan Wild on Wednesday said that she had "great concerns" over President Biden's ability to speak and project, and that the 2024 race was "unwinnable" for Vice President Kamala Harris. 

"I was confident in his mental acuity. I did have great concerns about his ability to project and to speak. He’s had a lifelong speech impediment, as we know, but this was something different. And I saw it firsthand," she told CNN host Kasie Hunt. 

"I could be as close as we are now and have difficulty at times understanding what he was saying. And that caused me a lot of concern, because as President of the United States, it's not that you're speaking professionally, but it‘s an important thing to be able to communicate well. And that really concerned me. But I didn't have concerns specifically about his cognitive abilities," Wild said.

President Biden acknowledged concerns about his age and discussed his legacy in an interview with USA Today published Wednesday, but still claimed he would have won another term if he'd run against President-elect Trump. However, he admitted he was not sure if he could have lasted four more years, saying "who the hell knows" what a second term might have looked like.

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Hunt asked Wild if Biden's "honesty" about the reality of his age in the interview would have helped Democrats.

"That line would not have helped Democrats," Wild said, adding, "Who knows whether he could have won?"

"We can‘t underestimate the fact that having a woman, a woman of color at the top of the ticket, may or may not have, um, not helped Democrats win the presidency. So I‘m not sure. But the age issue, the competence issue, that debate performance, those were all huge mitigating factors against Joe Biden. Hard to say," she added.

On CNN, Hunt later asked Wild, "Do you think Kamala Harris could have won the presidency? Was it a winnable race for her? Or was it unwinnable?"

Wild responded, "I think it was unwinnable. I think having— I think there was— we underestimated the Trump effect and his ability to rebound."

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USA Today's Susan Page asked Biden directly if he had the "vigor" to serve another four years.

"I don't know," Biden said. "That's why I thought when I first announced, talking to [former President] Barack [Obama] about it, I said I thought I was the person. I had no intention of running after [my son] Beau died — for real, not a joke. And then when Trump was running again for re-election, I really thought I had the best chance of beating him."

"But I also wasn't looking to be president when I was 85 years old, 86 years old. And so I did talk about passing the baton," Biden added, reflecting on concerns over his age, especially before he dropped out of the presidential race. 

Biden scolded reporters following an event at the White House on Sunday, saying, "I might be the oldest president, but I know more world leaders than any one of you have ever met in your whole goddamn life!"