President Joe Biden and his likely election opponent Donald Trump are avoiding debates for fear of exposing “how old they are”, Senator Mitt Romney has claimed.
Romney, a Republican senator for Utah and 2012 presidential election runner-up, was speaking to the Associated Press on Monday amid widespread public concern over Biden’s advanced age and apparently failing memory. Romney argued that presidential candidates should engage in public debates, calling them a crucial part of the campaign process.
“This is a democracy of the United States of America. We need to hear from the people who want to be president and see if they have mental capacity and see what their positions are on issues,” Romney argued.
It’s one thing to say you passed a competency test. But it’s another thing to actually have the American people listen to you debate. I want to hear both President Biden and President Trump.
So far, neither Biden nor former President Trump have agreed to take part in any debates. While Biden’s reelection campaign has repeatedly sidestepped media inquiries regarding a televised face-off with Trump, the Republican has feuded with both the party’s National Committee, refusing to join primary debates – and with the nonpartisan commission hosting general election debates, over its rules.
“People always find excuses for why they don’t want to debate. But you got a couple of old guys that don’t want to have people see how old they are,” Romney said.
The 76-year-old senator called time on his political career last summer, opting to retire when his current term ends in January 2025 without seeking re-election.
“At the end of another term, I’d be in my mid-80s,” Romney said at the time. “Frankly, it’s time for a new generation of leaders. They’re the ones that need to make the decisions that will shape the world they will be living in.”