The New York Times editorial board took aim at Democratic presidential candidates Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders because of their age and health.
While discussing the 2020 Democratic candidates for president, the editorial board of the New York Times said that it was time for Biden, 77, to “pass the torch to a new generation of political leaders,” invoking the words of Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, 39, in the first 2020 primary debate.
The newspaper criticized Biden’s message of electability, saying, “merely restoring the status quo will not get America where it needs to go as a society.”
The New York Times did not cite the same concerns with former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, 77, who is the same age as the former vice president.
Additionally, the editorial board looked at Sanders’s chances of winning the presidency with a skeptical eye, citing its concerns with his health and age. “Mr. Sanders would be 79 when he assumed office, and after an October heart attack, his health is a serious concern,” it wrote.
The board then contrasted its objections to the Vermont senator with praise of Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, calling her a “standard-bearer for the Democratic left.” The newspaper’s endorsement mentioned Warren’s age: 70. Warren has previously joked that she would become the “youngest woman ever inaugurated” as president if she were to win the 2020 election.
In 2016, the New York Times dismissed concerns over former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s age and health. One day after Clinton, then 68, seemingly fainted during a 2016 memorial ceremony of 9/11, the newspaper cited public opinion polls that indicated 74% of registered voters said they were unconcerned about her being healthy enough to carry out the job of president.
The newspaper also reported Clinton was healthier than most Americans her age, citing multiple doctors.
