CNBC’s Joe Kernen asked Democratic California Rep. Ro Khanna point blank if he’s comfortable with Vice President Kamala Harris being just a “heartbeat” away from the presidency.
The duo were discussing the war in Israel and domestic affairs before Kernen turned the conversation toward President Joe Biden.
“Nobody is on either — in either party is enthralled with what the choices are apparently going to be. I think that’s safe to say. You would agree with that?” Kernen asked.
“I agree — well, I’m for the president, but I agree —”
“Well, that’s where I’m going with this. So then if you do obviously with 70% even democratic disapproval for the president right now, and you look at the polls, you’re counting on Donald Trump being so bad that Joe Biden gets reelected. That’s what Democrats are counting — have I got the strategy right?”
“Well, it’s also talking about the president’s record. Look, people are upset because prices are high, rents are high, interest rates are high. But the president has done a lot. Infrastructure bill, the CHIPs bill, the Inflation Reduction Act,” Khanna said.
“But the ‘Bidenomics’ pitch doesn’t work well. It’s just not working right now. With the world on fire, everything else going on in the world, that’s why each week he’s setting new lows for approvals with Democrats too and with minorities and with young people. It’s just — I mean, it’s just not working, selling the ‘Bidenomics’,” Kernen said.
“I think anyone today who was president of the United States would have low approval ratings,” Khanna said. “For whatever reason this country is in a place —” (RELATED: ‘What Choices Does Israel Have?’: CNBC Host Spars With Rep. Ro Khanna Over Israeli Military Response)
“Ro, you understand that this is Joe Biden at 81. He just had a birthday. You’re comfortable with Joe Biden at 85 in the job as president, honestly?”
“Honestly I met with him probably a month ago. If you see him, he keeps a 14-hour day. He is capable of doing the job. We can have an argument —”
“We don’t know two, three years from now whether he is,” Kernen shot back.
“We don’t know, life is unpredictable for anyone.”
“We do know that people do age and get to a certain point where they probably should not be president of the United States.”
“Joe, if you ask me —”
“Are you comfortable with Kamala Harris a heartbeat away, vice president, a heartbeat away from that?”
“Yes, I am. Look, here is the point. Do I wish Joe Biden was 65, sure. But there’s no perfect candidate. There never is.”
“I think you’re counting on Trump being so bad, and I think the whole Democratic Party is. But now they’re starting to worry, you look at the swing state, that might not be happening. That whole strategy might not be working.”
Kernen then joked the country needed ‘Ro-Joe’ on a ticket before the segment ended.
An Associated Press/NORC poll found that 77% of Americans believe Biden is too old to govern effectively, with 69% of Democrats sharing that concern. Of those concerned about his age, 85% do not want to see him run for president again.