A rematch of the 2020 presidential election could be what voters will head to the polls to decide in the November 2024 presidential election.
Donald Trump and Joe Biden continue to lead their respective parties in the race and could give voters little choice but to select a candidate who could break age records for the presidency.
What Happened: A recent speech made by Trump to supporters blamed the events of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol on Nikki Haley, with the former president confusing her for former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
"They never report the crowd on January 6. You know Nikki Haley, Nikki Haley, Nikki Haley, you know, they — do you know they destroyed all of the information, all of the evidence, everything, deleted and destroyed all of it," Trump said.
Trump went on to say that Haley was "in charge of security" at the time.
"We offered her 10,000 people, soldiers, National Guard. They turned it down."
The commentary follows several gaffes made by Trump, which include comments that he previously ran against and beat President Barack Obama. Trump never ran against Obama. Trump also said that Biden could lead the U.S. into World War II, an event that ended in 1945. Trump also confused Jeb Bush with George W. Bush previously, saying it was Jeb who started the Iraq War, according to The Hill.
Trump also addressed a crowd in Sioux City, Iowa as Sioux Falls, South Dakota recently, before a team member corrected him.
Trump's Republican rival Haley has recently called into question the mental capacity of Trump ahead of the 2024 election.
"When you're dealing with the pressures of the presidency, we can't have someone else that we question whether they're mentally fit to do this — we can't," Haley told supporters in New Hampshire.
The comments from Trump come as many have criticized Biden for being too old to be president and have often pointed to his gaffes in speeches and several physical events that include tripping on stage and falling up the stairs of Air Force One.
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Why It's Important: Age continues to be a big factor and a voting issue for voters in the 2024 presidential election. With Biden and Trump the frontrunners to get their party nominations, voters will have little choice in selecting someone who isn't seen as "old."
Trump is 77 years old and was the second oldest president ever at the start of his presidency (70 years, 220 days), a record passed by Biden. Trump left the White House at the age of 74 years 220 days old, which was the second oldest president in history at the time of exit, trailing only Ronald Reagan (77 years, 349 days).
That record will be passed when Biden leaves the presidency someday, whether that's in 2025 or later. Biden recently turned 81 years old and holds the record as the oldest president at the start of his presidency (78 years, 61 days).
In interviews, Vice President Kamala Harris has had to fend off comments about Biden's age and if she's ready to take over the top role if anything happens to the president.
"Joe Biden is going to be fine," Harris said. "But let us also understand that every vice president — every vice president — understands that when they take the oath, that they must be very clear about the responsibility they may have to take over the job of being president. I am no different."
Of the 45 different U.S. presidents, eight have died while in office, representing around 18%. Four died from natural causes and four were assassinated. A president has not died in office since John F. Kennedy in 1963. With the age of Biden and Trump, voters could see the potential role of a vice president being a bigger priority than normal.
Former Trump ally and White House Director of Communications Anthony Scaramucci previously told Benzinga he was disappointed Trump and Biden were the two frontrunners.
Scaramucci was critical of his former boss Trump, but also took a shot at Biden's age, saying Biden is like "Weekend at Biden's," a reference to the "Weekend at Bernie's" film.
"The 2024 election is going to be between demented and dementia," Scaramucci said.
He said it's a shame those are the two options for voters.
Investor Bill Ackman also previously called for there to be younger candidates in the presidential election to give voters more options.
Photos: Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, Nancy Pelosi, Shutterstock
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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