The View Co-Host Joy Behar Defends Joe Biden Against Ageism, Declaring She Also Isn't Ready to Quit Her Job
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Joy Behar wants viewers to know she isn't going anywhere — and neither should President Joe Biden, she says.
The View host, 80, responded to criticism about her age Tuesday, calling out critics for being ageist as they call for her to be ousted from the talk show. In a clap back to the ageist "haters," Behar lifted her leg onto the table to show her impressive flexibility — and to emphasize that those criticizing herself and Biden, also 80, for their age underestimate their capabilities.
"Joe Biden and I are the same age. Would you say I could not do my job for the next four years? Of course I can," Behar said to a supportive applauding audience. "And the haters can go stick their heads in something, because I'm not moving out of this seat."
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Though Biden has yet to announce his reelection campaign, Behar's remarks come as critics of the president discuss whether — as the only octogenarian to serve as president — Biden is fit to serve another four years.
Co-host Sunny Hostin added that she always points to Behar as an example of an older person who still excels at their job.
Former President Jimmy Carter, who is now the longest-living president at 98, shared in 2019 that he would not have been able to fulfill his duties as president at 80, and would support an age limit for the position.
"If I were just 80 years old, if I was 15 years younger, I don't believe I could undertake the duties I experienced when I was president," he said at the time.
If Biden were to be elected again, he would be 82 years old at the time of his second inauguration. During his 2020 campaign, his predecessor, Donald Trump, mocked Biden's age and cognitive abilities — though Trump follows Biden as the second-oldest president in U.S. history.
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Biden shrugged off Trump's targeted concerns at the time, laughing off a question from a reporter about Biden's potential cognitive declines due to his age and adding he was looking forward to proving his capabilities at the upcoming debates between the two candidates.
"Look, all you got to do is watch me. I can hardly wait to compare my cognitive capability to the cognitive capability of the man I'm running against," Biden said in July 2020.
