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Donald Trump says Joe Biden is 'not old' at 78, Internet claims he said it as 'he's running again in 2024'

After attacking Biden's age on the campaign trail, the former POTUS offers a half-hearted defense in the latest interview

In a surprising turn of events, former President Donald Trump defended President Biden from ageist attacks. Appearing in an interview on Sean Hannity's show, Trump changed tune from attacking Biden over his age to saying he "is not old". The comments were made on an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity that aired on Monday night. 

Hannity asked Trump how he would grade Biden's performance so far, and Trump quickly turned the topic to age. "So, he's going to be 79 years old. That is not old. I know many people in their late 80s that are just as good as they were years ago. I spoke to one who's 92 years old. He said, 'I feel better than I did 20 years ago.' Seventy-eight, 79 is not old," Trump said.

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Biden at 78 is currently older than Trump, who is 74. On the campaign trail, Trump often took shots at Biden over his age. Biden is the oldest person to become President, which Trump greatly made fun of. He even nicknamed Biden "sleepy Joe". 

Trump changes tune

"Sleepy Joe" was nowhere to be found though in Trump's latest interview. He completely changed tune, telling Hannity, "I don't think it's even appropriate for me to comment on that. It sort of speaks for itself. I mean, people can make their own determination." Trump added, "I know that if it were me, they would be up and down going crazy. Right?" 

The former President also offered a subtle dig at Biden over his fall on the steps of Air Force One in March. A White House spokesperson told reporters that wind was the reason the President fell, adding, "it’s very windy. I almost fell coming up the steps myself." Talking about the incident, Trump said, "Air Force One is a very big plane. And usually, what they try and do is shield the wind. I’ve never seen too much wind."

"It can get a little windy, but not the kind of wind that blows you over," he added. Trump lamented that the press did not cover the incident, and said that if he had fallen it "would be the biggest story for the rest of the year." That comment showed that Trump hadn't completely changed tune. Even as President, he often complained that the press was always out to get him, and failed to provide fair coverage.  

'Doesn't want to make age an issue'

The comments have since swarmed social media, with many people trolling Trump. One user tweeted, "Trump's interview with Hannity tells me that he'll run again for sure. Notice how he stopped calling Biden old? He just said that Biden isn't with it. That's because Trump will be the same age as Biden is right now in 2024. He doesn't want to make age an issue."

Another said, "The Trump campaign said Biden was too old to be president at 78, so would not Trump also be too old at the same age?" Politics reporter Emily Brooks did the math and tweeted, "Former President Donald Trump talking about President Biden on Hannity: “78, 79 is not old.” Interesting. Trump is now 74. If he ran in 2024, he’d be 78 on Inauguration Day 2025, same age as Biden is now."

While age has been a massive gripe for Trump during the 2020 Presidential Election campaign, he may not be able to use the same excuse in 2024. While Biden has announced he will run for reelection, Trump is yet to do so. He is reportedly weighing his options, and will most likely make a decision based on the 2022 midterms. Many Republicans have publicly backed Trump for another run in 2024, but he faces an uphill battle. While he is not likely to face any major challengers, Trump's biggest hurdle is Biden himself, who despite his age and many gaffes, has a 59% approval rating, according to Pew.