While President Joe Biden's Republican opponents have long pointed out how his mental capacity appears to be diminishing, that same criticism recently came from an unexpected source.
In an explosive set of remarks, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said last weekend that voters "have every right to consider" whether Biden is too old and unwell.
According to Fox News, Clinton's comments were made at the Financial Times Weekend Festival in Washington, D.C. this past Saturday.
The 2016 Democratic presidential candidate's statement came after Financial Times editor Edward Luce pointed to an incident during the G7 Summit in Japan which saw the president stumbling on a set of stairs.
WATCH YOUR STEP! President Joe Biden stumbled on a set of stairs AGAIN as he and other G7 leaders gathered near the Shinto Shrine on Itsukushima Island, near Hiroshima, Japan, on Friday. pic.twitter.com/ZDmxyYBatD
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) May 19, 2023
"There was that heart-stopping moment when he almost fell over coming down the stairs a day or two ago," Luce recalled.
"He didn't use a railing, and Jill [Biden] wasn't there with him. Every time that happens, your heart is in your mouth because these things could be consequential. Is that a concern?" the editor asked.
Clinton, who is 75 years old herself, responded, "It's a concern for anyone. We've had presidents who had fallen before who were a lot younger, and people didn't go into heart palpitations. But his age is an issue, and people have every right to consider it."
Clinton's comments did not go unnoticed by Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, who highlighted them during a recent interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity.
"Do you think it's a bad sign for Joe Biden when Hillary Clinton says he's old and corrupt?" Cruz asked Hannity on Tuesday.
A bad sign for Joe Biden?!?!
Hillary Clinton says he’s old and corrupt! pic.twitter.com/HIwaC6l07N
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 24, 2023
Hannity responded by suggesting that Clinton's words were part of a calculated strategy, stating, " I think that was said on purpose. I think that the Democratic establishment--they don't want Joe."
"I'll tweak that a little bit," Cruz said in response. "Six months ago I said I didn't think Joe would be the nominee. I now think he's likely to be the Democratic nominee because I think the Democrats think Trump is going to be the Republican nominee."
"And I think the way the Democrats think, they think, okay, if Trump's the nominee, they can hide Biden in a basement for two years and just run on how much they hate Trump. I think that's their strategy," he added.
