Romney Roasts Biden and Trump for Dodging Debates: They Don’t Want People to ‘See How Old They Are’

AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File

Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) roasted both President Joe Biden and former President and likely Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump over their reticence to participate in debates during the 2024 election cycle, telling the Associated Press that both are afraid that voters might notice how old they are.

The Biden campaign has refused to commit to participating in debates with Trump come  this November.

“We will have those conversations,” said the president’s deputy campaign manager at a press conference last December, who noted that Trump refused to participate in GOP primary debates this cycle.

On the other hand, Trump has said he wants to and will debate Biden under any conditions, but his disdain for the Presidential Debate Commission and decision not to participate in GOP primary debates has raised questions over whether he might ultimately bow out.

Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, is a sharp critic of both Biden and Trump and brought the heat in his comments to the AP.

“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,” argued Romney before adding, “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.”

“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,” he concluded.

Biden and Trump clashed in two debates back in 2020. Another was canceled over disagreements about how Trump’s contraction of Covid-19 should impact the forum.

A poll released by ABC News on Sunday suggested that 86% of the country believes that the 81-year-old Biden is too old to serve a second term. Sixty-two percent feel the same way about the 77-year-old Trump.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!