'The View' co-hosts clash over criticism of Biden's age amid Rep. Phillips primary challenge
"The View" co-hosts clashed over age criticisms of President Biden on Monday while discussing Rep. Dean Phillips', D-Minn., decision to challenge him in the Democratic primary.
After playing a clip from an interview with Phillips on "CBS Mornings," co-host Sunny Hostin asked, "who is that?"
"I think if you are going to take on a president who has done so much for this country so far, and has restored in many ways the soul of this country, which was his promise, you’ve got to have some kind of name recognition I think. I need to be excited. I need to – you need to be able to get the young voters out. You need to get the independents out. You need to get the Black folks out. I looked at him, like, OK," she said.
Co-host Ana Navarro said Phillips, who announced his primary bid on Friday, was having a "midlife crisis."
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"He’s a very wealthy guy who by all accounts is very nice. His colleagues in Congress say good things about him, like. He’s a wealthy guy in his 50s having a midlife crisis and I guess instead of buying a Corvette or a yacht, he’s running for president. Hey, different strokes for different folks. I think it takes a little bit of arrogance… You don’t just drop, like, manna from heaven and say, here I am right now, your savior warrior," she said.
Co-host Sara Haines pushed back and said it was "reductive" to call it a midlife crisis.
"When you read why he’s doing this, he also mentions, Republicans stand in line and pick party and power over people. Democrats don’t do that. They’re asking everyone, despite the numbers, to not speak up because they consider it an insult to the administration. He was saying, ‘I don’t want to stand by when I’m seeing these numbers. Is everyone going to ignore them, because we could end up with Donald Trump?’ I commend him for saying, ‘I’m going to look at all of it.’ And that’s the best he can do," Haines said.
Whoopi Goldberg said she didn't like people "who start with this age," referring to the congressman's criticism of the president. Phillips praised Biden during an interview on Friday, but said he believed it was time to pass the torch to a younger generation.
Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin pointed to the president's diminishing popularity in addition to concerns about his age.
"I don't think it's just the age. It’s the historic unpopularity. He’s on par with Jimmy Carter who was a one-term president," Griffin said.
Goldberg pushed back and said there were people like her who don't believe in polls.
"Even without the polling, take the polling aside, do you really think the oldest presidential candidate in history is the best candidate to beat Donald Trump?" Griffin asked.
"Be careful what you say," Goldberg said to Griffin, before Hostin answered confidently and said, "yes."
"You really do, you don't think there's anyone who can perform better?" Griffin asked.
Hostin said she believed the country has a moral compass and added that voters would support an "old" Biden over Trump, calling him a "twice-impeached, disgraced, four-time indicted criminal" to studio applause.
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