Gov. Katie Hobbs says President Joe Biden ‘has a lot to do’ to assure Arizonans about age
Jul 10, 2024, 1:00 PM | Updated: 1:13 pm
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said July 10, 2024, that President Joe Biden “has a lot to do” when it comes concerns about his age. (File Photo by Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
(File Photo by Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
PHOENIX – Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said Wednesday that President Joe Biden “has a lot to do” when it comes to concerns about his age.
Hobbs was on a call with Biden and other Democratic governors recently after Biden’s performance in last month’s debate with Donald Trump made the president’s age and cognitive ability a significant campaign issue.
Multiple Democrats, including U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva of Tucson, have called for the 81-year-old Biden to step aside and let another candidate take on Trump, who is 78. Hobbs wouldn’t go that far, but she acknowledged the issue.
“I know that Arizonans have been concerned about the president’s age, and since the debate I think those concerns are even more top of mind,” Hobbs told reporters after an event in Phoenix promoting a YMCA program.
“And I think the president has a lot to do to assure Arizona and Americans, and I know that he knows that that is his job over the coming weeks.”
Hobbs wouldn’t revealed what happened during last week’s virtual meeting, but she did offer her opinion about Biden’s readiness.
“Joe Biden can do the job, and that’s all I’m going to say about the situation,” she said.
The governor said “our fundamental freedoms” and “our very democracy” are on the line in the November election, from the presidential contest down to the state legislative races.
“I have one vote in this election, just like everyone else, and to me the choice is abundantly clear: the guy who’s going to uphold democracy and the guy who’s trying to tear it down,” she said.
